Often, mourners are still in a state of shock during funeral planning and the funeral service. It may not be until well after that it fully sinks in that their loved one is gone. They may not even know where to start when navigating their grief and going about everyday life.

Your funeral home’s staff can show your support to families through your aftercare efforts. By following up with them after the funeral service, you can help them grieve and memorialize their loved one. Let’s explore some different ways to reach out and support those who are grieving.

Reach out to Families

A simple message expressing your sympathy and interest in their wellbeing can go a long way. You could ask families beforehand what their preferred method of contact is — whether it’s a phone call, email, or a letter in the mail. To make things easier, you can create a general schedule for following up with them — such as one week after the funeral, one month after, and so on.

For more ideas for exceeding expectations after the funeral, check out our free Guide to Exceeding Families’ Expectations.

Invite them to Events

If your funeral home regularly hosts grief support groups or educational grief seminars, invite them to these events. It could be a Facebook Event invite, an email invite, or a letter in the mail. This shows that you’re actively seeking ways to help them through their grief. Just make sure to not be too pushy, as some people would rather grieve more privately. In that case, you could suggest some local grief counselors for them to talk to.

If you want some help with event planning, check out our free Event Planning eBook.

Share Grief Resources

Another way to assist families after the funeral is to share valuable grief resources. This could be digital resources such as grief blogs and grief email subscriptions, or it can be more traditional resources such as grief books and magazines. You also can have a selection of resources for more targeted grief topics — such as grieving the loss of a child or spouse.

For more grieving tips and resources, check out our free Grief eBook.

Suggest Memorialization Ideas

You can help families find a creative and meaningful way to memorialize their loved one. It’s difficult to live life without the physical presence of their loved one. But by creating mementos and traditions in their honor, they can keep their memory alive. From memorial benches and memory books to family dinners and storytelling, those grieving can find ways to honor their memory.

For a list of mementos and traditions for memorializing a loved one, check out our free eBook 101 Unique Ways to Memorialize a Loved One.

What does your funeral home do for your aftercare program? Share your comments below!