Bad Things Are Happening to a Good Profession, But There are Lessons to Be Learned
Deathcare has seen its fair share of bad things. Evil has somehow infiltrated a profession that prides itself on care, compassion, and integrity, and a handful of bad actors have managed to cast consumer dispersions on the countless practitioners just trying to help families through some of their hardest days.
There’s no easy explanation for how or why this happens. Other than the standard motives of greed, power, stupidity, or carelessness, we don’t know the bigger reasons these people did these things. But we know for sure that they didn’t follow even the basics of ethical behavior — the elementary principles that make us good humans.
The following events have hit the headlines within the last few months. If you’re in a position to mentor a new practitioner (or any young person for that matter), feel free to use these sad, but true, examples to support the simple life lessons we all need to reinforce.
Lesson 1: The rules apply to all, not just some
An Omaha funeral home was recently placed on probation for two years by the Nebraska attorney general for allegedly cremating three unclaimed bodies during a cremation operator training exercise before the establishment was licensed. Then they (again, allegedly) falsified dates on death certificates to cover up their error.
Lesson 2: Always own up to a mistake instead of trying to cover it up (or, honesty is the best policy)
Two families have filed lawsuits against a Detroit funeral home, alleging that after staff mistakenly cremated one loved one, they attempted to disguise another to take her place in the hopes the family wouldn’t notice. Although the vice president of the firm was not named in the suit, he was found deceased in a manner consistent with self-harm just days after the first family complained of wrongful cremation. A similar mix-up and subsequent attempted cover-up in New York has resulted in an $18 million lawsuit.
Lesson 3: Crime doesn’t pay
Although a former Nebraska headstone company owner was able to plead 46 charges of financial crimes down to three, she will still serve 15 years of probation and must repay defrauded families $266.636 in restitution. Thankfully, local funeral firms stepped up to provide families the markers they were promised but never received.
Lesson 4: Your word is your bond
A Houston firm is accused of publicly promising free funeral services for a five-year-old victim of gun violence, then sending the family an invoice for $10,000. The family promptly transferred their daughter’s remains to another firm and are now raising funds for her services.
Lesson 5: Cheaters never win
A former New Jersey funeral director has been sentenced to 366 days in federal prison for fraudulently collecting more than $585,000 in Social Security disability benefits. He claimed that he couldn’t lift a carton of milk or sit for more than 15 minutes, while at the same time he carried caskets down flights of stairs, climbed ladders, shoveled snow, and enjoyed ski trips to Italy, Utah, and Vermont.
