Doris plans to provide sample packets of her books to as many funeral directors as time will allow.

Doris began her writing career in 2004 with a story to tell her grandchildren about her cancer.  After sharing the story with them she placed it on the shelf with her collection of special books. Three years later in 2007 her husband Bob found the story and asked their son, a professional artist to include illustrations, and “Communicating Cancer To Children” became a book. Prestige Printing in Columbus Indiana took a personal interest in printing the books and several Coffee News publishers across the country ran a small ad “Mommy, what does cancer mean?” launching, FROGSTORIESINC.COM into the market place.

One year later Doris wrote her second book, “Helping Children Through Grief”. This book took the frogs into funeral homes who requested a frog book to help children understand funerals. “Good-Bye Grandpa Frog” hopped forth to enter into the funeral experience with a child under age ten.

Ironically, it was Doris’ cancer diagnoses that inspired her to write “The Lumpy Jumpy Grumpy Frog” series. Another diagnosis that occurred much earlier in her life was diabetes. This occurred during a time when “Sugar Free” options were limited and expensive. Out of necessity Doris began experimenting and creating sugar free recipes and has continued to do so since the 1960’s.

Much like her frog story, the recipes required being discovered. This happened recently when Doris and her recipes were featured in a section of the Louisville Courier Journal. The article appeared the week prior to this years Funeral Directors Convention in Louisville. The theme for that convention was “Recipes for Success”. The timing was perfect and the Davis’s decided to offer the “Sugar Free” recipes to those attending the FDAK convention in Louisville.

The response was so encouraging Doris is now sending via e-mail one complimentary recipe each quarter to her funeral home contacts and encourages the staff to print them to share with the families they serve. During the up-coming NFDA convention in New Orleans this fall, FROGSTORIESINC.COM will be in booth #158 offering complimentary copies of, “Helping Children Through Grief” and “Good-Bye Grandpa Frog.” Doris will also be extending the invitation for attendees to sign on with their funeral home E-mail address to receive her  sugar free recipes. Those signing on for recipes at the convention qualify for 5 extra books per box (65+5=70 books $171.00 + $11.97 tax=$182.97 W/50 boxes of crayons) on orders before 10/30/10. We pay S&H on all orders.

The Davis’ family encourages readers of this press release to also e-mail their request to receive the quarterly sugar free recipes by including the name of the funeral home they are associated with, along with the State and city. We provide this service without cost or obligation, to our customers and funeral home e-mail contacts. The service simply keeps our name out there for those who might have frogs in their future! (In their spare time Bob & Doris serve as greeters in a family owned funeral home near their home, springvalleyfuneral.com in New Albany IN, owned by Andy and Brandy Rumph.)

“See you in the bayou, and don’t forget to pick up your books.”

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***** Please visit www.frogstoriesinc.com to learn more about us, you may also e-mail us at books@frogstoriesinc.com. Have questions about the books, ask Doris @ 812 283 1937.

Each company must pass certain safety and consistency screens and achieve superior performance over a five-year period prior to being recognized among the top 50.

Jeff Rieder, president of Ward Group said during the webinar announcing 2010’s top 50 that the recognized firms were notably able to keep expenses down without compromising customer service and added “These firms were able to grow profitably in difficult operating conditions.”

Homesteaders Life Company sustains a business culture and financial philosophy that provides long-term security for our policy owners, customers, and employees. Throughout the challenging financial times of recent years, Homesteaders has made good on its promises to policy owners and funeral home owners while also emerging as a national leader in prearranged funeral funding.

“There continues to be a great deal of uncertainty among funeral home owners about which pre-need funding companies are secure,” says Graham Cook, Homesteaders president. “We hope being included among this prestigious list of top-performing insurers for the second consecutive year gives people in funeral service another reason to be confident that Homesteaders is the safe and secure option for their families and their businesses.”

For more information about the 2010 Ward’s 50 visit www.wardinc.com/wards50/life-health.php.

“One of the most important advances with our urns is that they are sealed completely,” said Joel Ragan, President of BabyFaces.com, Inc., the parent company of ForeverLoved. “I took two years to design and test our urns so that the wearer has complete confidence by knowing that it is double-sealed.”

Ragan says the urns are sealed twice during the manufacturing process so the remains are doubly protected and the person can wear it always.

“First, we send a small silver vessel to the funeral home to place the ashes in. That is sealed at the funeral home by tapping in the top cap,” explained Ragan. “The funeral home sends us the vessel, which we seal with silver solder right away. Then the vessel is placed in the urn and it too is sealed by solder, using a technique that creates a permanent water tight bond.”

The urns are available in three shapes: oval, rectangular and heart-shaped. There are a wide variety of choices for the front and back of each urn. Either a 3-D face from a photograph or a fingerprint can be placed in the center. Two engraving options are included with each urn with up to six lines in block or script. A third option allows even more personalization.

“The third engraving option allows a hand-written message to be engraved on the back,” said Ragan. “This is something we wanted to offer so people could place special messages or something their loved one may have written.”

Ragan sees many possibilities for the urn in other areas of the funeral industry. “The pet cremation business is growing fast and I think our paw-print urn is just the thing to offer people who have lost their best friend,” he said. “We can place a paw or nose print on the front of the urns as well as a 3-D charm from a photo of the pet.”

Displays are available to funeral homes, free of charge this summer as part of a promotional program from ForeverLoved.

“We felt that asking funeral homes to bring our new innovative product line to their clients was important enough to offer them the displays free,” said Ragan. “Each display comes with two actual Sterling silver 3-D charms and 80 brochures.”

Ragan said the best way to present his line is by requesting a free preview.

“Our presentation program is very simple. When you (the funeral director) meet with a family, all we ask is that you introduce our product line by asking them to sign a photo release to have a free preview made of their loved one and show them a brochure,” he explained. “We will create the photo rendering within 48 hours and send it back to you to present to the family.”

Ragan says the preview approach works very well and the average family buys multiple charms or urns.

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ForeverLoved is presenting their new expanded line in booth 641 at the 2010 National Funeral Directors show in New Orleans, October 10-13. For more information call 877-256-8331 to sign your funeral home up for the free display program or email Joel@ForeverLoved.com, or visit www.ForeverLoved.com/fba.

Ranking Analyzes Five-Year Financial Performance of More Than 800 U.S. Based Life-Health

Indianapolis, IN — August 5, 2010 — Forethought Life Insurance Company (“Forethought”), a leading provider of insurance and financial products, today announced it has been named among the nation’s top 50 highest-performing life-health insurance companies in the prestigious 2010 Ward’s 50® ranking. For the last 20 years, the Ward’s 50 annual list, compiled by leading consulting group Ward Group, has ranked the nation’s 50 highest performing life-health insurance carriers by assessing a comprehensive range of financial data including five-year growth in total revenue, five-year growth in surplus, and five-year average return on average equity, among other data points.

The 2010 Ward’s 50 ranking assesses financial performance for the years 2005-09, and included analyses of more than 800 U.S. based life-health insurance companies with five or more years of consecutive operations. “The longstanding financial stability of Forethought is a critical differentiator in our ability to serve customers and grow our own business,” Forethought Chairman, President and CEO John Graf said. “In a time when large parts of the insurance and financial services sectors find themselves on an unstable footing, Forethought is in the best position in its 25 year history, marked by a solid nationwide business delivering innovative, high-value insurance and financial services solutions to the mature middle market. We’re very pleased to be a part of the 2010 Ward’s 50 ranking. It is another reflection of the sound fundamental principles that guide our business,” Graf said.

About Forethought Life Insurance Company

With assets in excess of $4.7 billion, more than $1.1 billion in annual revenue, $4.9 billion of life insurance protection in force, more than 2 million policyholders served, and a 25-year history of quality, service and reliability, Forethought is a preeminent leader in the delivery of high-value insurance and financial services across the U.S. For more information, please visit www.forethought.com.

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Mishawaka, IN

“Our mission is to provide an attractive, low-cost urn for that portion of the market that is leaving the funeral home without purchasing any product because they can’t afford an expensive urn or because they plan to scatter their loved one’s ashes and therefore do not want to invest in what they consider to be a temporary container,” according to Gary Eck, president of EckCo Products.

The I Remember Urn allows family members to select an urn to celebrate their loved one’s life  in several ways. Whether they choose to bury the urn with their loved one’s ashes intact or to display it in a meaningful place in their home, the I Remember Urn serves as an uncomplicated, respectful way to personalize and pay tribute to their loved one.

“By selecting pictures from photo albums or scrapbooks, families may choose up to four permanent photos to display on their urn or, if they prefer, change the selection of photos displayed from time to time,” says Eck. “If they choose to scatter their loved one’s ashes at a later time, they may decide to keep additional photographs and/or mementos inside the urn.”

Discrete latches on two sides of the I Remember Urn allow the top to be opened – for the enclosure of ashes or of photographs and mementos. Or the urn may be permanently sealed with an exclusive glue (included with each urn). These durable polymer urns come in four standard finishes: sandstone, pearl, walnut or black marble.

Two additional options with the I Remember Urn allow families to add up to four personalized, engraved nameplates to their urn and/or to select a military emblem representing a veteran’s service in one of the United States’ five military branches: the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines or Coast Guard.

“By honoring a deceased loved one through cremation and the enduring preservation of ashes in an urn, families are observing a time-honored, centuries-old tradition,” states Eck. “With the personalized I Remember Urn, they are not only paying tribute to their loved one… they are creating once-in-a-lifetime memories to last forever.”

To learn more, go to the company’s website at www.EckCoproducts.com. To receive information on order quantities, pricing – and marketing support materials for Funeral Director professionals, contact Eck at 574.968.0679 or garyeck@eckcoplastics.com.

Image Caption

One of EckCo Products’ new line of personalized cremation urns, the I Remember Urn, shown in sandstone finish

Brownsburg, IN

With a background in early-phase business organization and development, Cooper comes to the position with goals in place and a vision in mind.  “I want to increase our interaction with death-care leaders throughout communities,” comments Cooper. “By listening closely and interacting more often, we will be better positioned to align our equipment with their needs.”

Also of primary focus will be working on the regulatory component to ensure that funeral professionals in every state have access to this alternative process in order to better serve families. “We want to make certain that there is an open playing field – that all states allow this innovative process to be among the options available in the death-care profession,” notes Cooper.

Designs of the Water Resolution® vessel are now completed and efforts are in place to re-engage with the parties that have expressed interest.

Water Resolution accelerates the natural decomposition process through alkaline hydrolysis, sympathetically returning the body to ash. Unlike cremation it produces a natural, contaminant-free byproduct. Water Resolution is an environmentally sustainable process and the bio-responsible option. The Water Resolution® process is patented in the USA, Canada, Australia and 27 countries of the European Communities for use with cadavers.

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Russell Cooper has recently come aboard to lead Water Resolution. He previously managed companies for Emerson Electric and Berkshire Hathaway. Prior to these roles, he held various positions in operations, product development, and sales and marketing. He and his family live in Cleveland, Ohio. He can be reached at rcooper@waterresolution.com or directly at 440-292-6192.

The accounts in your QuickBooks file should be set up in a manner that will enable you to evaluate and monitor your funeral home’s financial results. The most important reason for maintaining accounting records is to have financial information at your disposal in order to make better informed decisions.

With regards to accounts to record your revenues, the revenue accounts should match the categories on your general price list. This enables you to evaluate the effectiveness of your pricing and it enables you to monitor trends in the types of services and merchandise that families are selecting. Examples of revenue accounts would include: professional services of funeral director and staff; embalming, use of facilities for visiting, removal; cash advances, caskets, vaults, cremation package A, direct cremation and so on. QuickBooks enables you to keep track of the not only the revenues by type, but it also keeps track of the number of families that select a particular item.

On the expense side, it is important to record items in such a manner that will enable you to evaluate the costs of providing your services and enable you to determine your overhead. Expenses and costs should be grouped under the following categories: cost of goods sold; cash advances; automobile expenses; facilities expenses; salaries and wages; and general and administrative. These general categories will then capture the detailed items that will facilitate proper evaluation and analysis. For example under the category “automobile,” the following detailed accounts should be used: gasoline; repairs and maintenance; insurance; and registration.

The basic premise behind setting up your accounts is that you want to develop an information system that provides relevant information that will enable you to evaluate your financial health. A common mistake that many accountants and funeral directors make is that they set their accounts up in order to make it easier to prepare income tax returns. This is fine for preparing tax returns, but it does not lend itself to evaluating overhead or cash flow, which is critical to understand and know in today’s competitive environment. Another important point to make is that cash advance revenues and cash advance expenses should have their own accounts. Cash advance expenses should not be found on the chart of accounts among any other accounts.   FBA

Ronald H. Cooper, CPA, is a funeral home accountant with Cooper & Associates, CPA, LLC. Please submit your questions to Ron via email at ron@funeralbusinessadvisor.com.

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Q.  Podium Microphones – What are my options? - Submitted by Bryan Avance – Avance Funeral Home, Fairfield, OH

Installing a new podium microphone may be the easiest and most affordable upgrade to your audio system. But with so many to choose from, it’s difficult to know where to begin.

Let’s start with the two main types of microphones and their purposes. DYNAMIC microphones are most commonly used for singing and speaking. Dynamic mics are generally used for applications where the user is in very close proximity to the microphone. The major weakness with this type of mic is that its pickup pattern is about 3-6 inches. That simply means that when the user moves outside this range, the level drops significantly and the mic becomes ineffective.

In most cases, your best bet for a podium mic is the second type, a CONDENSER microphone. If a dynamic mic has a useful pickup pattern of 3 to 6 inches, a condenser mic has a pattern of 3 to 6 feet. A Condenser mic uses a power source to increase its sensitivity. This helps a great deal when it comes to picking up the user, whether up close or at a distance. Unfortunately, the sensitivity of this type of mic tends to be its only weakness; if the podium is placed too close to a ceiling speaker or wall speaker, at high volumes, it may feedback.

Webster defines feedback as “the return of a fraction of the output signal from an amplifier, microphone, or other device to the input of the same device.” In other words, the microphone is picking up its own amplified signal in a continuous loop.

In some instances, we are asked about installing a wireless handheld microphone for use as a podium mic. Though wireless technology adds a great deal of flexibility, this does nothing to alleviate the main problem.  Most of these wireless mics are just cordless versions of a dynamic microphone. There are a few condenser versions available, so if you plan to upgrade to a wireless for your podium, make sure it is a condenser microphone.

Directors often ask us to quote an upgrade for an entire funeral home sound system; however, in many of these cases, we discover that all they really need is the correct type of microphones.

With this basic understanding, you can make an educated decision on the purchase of a simple but highly effective upgrade for your sound system.   FBA

Chris Runnels is the owner of Advanced Audio Systems. Please submit your questions to Chris via email at chris@funeralbuinsinessadvisor.com.

BODY SCOOP BY B-MOBILE

505 N. Sunnyslope Ave

Pasadena, California  91107

Phone: (626) 233-9574

Email: b-mobile@earthlink.net

Website: www.bodyscoop.net

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Who is Body Scoop by B-Mobile and what products do they provide?

In 2004, the original Body Scoop was introduced into the USA from Europe. B-Mobile  redesigned the original product based on funeral directors feedback. In 2007, after three years of redesigning, B-Mobile unveiled a product  that would casket a body from prep rooms with seven foot high ceilings, would accommodate the girth of 800 pound bodies and would allow funeral directors of any size to transfer bodies. The new design has received acclaim by funeral directors across the country. In combination with a gantry-type room covering system, transfers can be made from gurney to prep table to dressing table to casket anywhere within a room or rooms.

How did B-Mobile get involved in the funeral industry?

President Wayne Blacklock of B-Mobile spent about 11 years selling and installing lifts in hospitals, homes and special education classrooms. As a licensed general contractor and custom homebuilder for over twenty-five years, Wayne’s knowledge of construction is critical to the installation process. The positive response of funeral directors who have used the Body Scoop over the past several years continue to encourage the venture.

What makes the Body Scoop unique?

The scoop design from Europe is the breakthrough for the single person no-lift technology. Three years of design evolution met the needs of the American funeral directors as well as others around the world. The scoops lock under the body with no lifting. The stainless steel scoops and frame clean up with prep room supplies and require no maintenance. The room covering system makes transfers simple from any place in the room. The superbly engineered lifting motor provides a smooth lift from table to table and casketing. The high tech trolleys and extruded aluminum rails allow the lightest touch to move the system across the room with clients of any weight. For funeral homes with an existing hoist which they cannot currently replace, the Body Scoop can be fitted with a custom eye bolt for attachment. Motor and scoop combinations can lift up to 1000 pounds. All components are made in the USA.

What are the benefits to a funeral home using the Body Scoop?

Time, personnel and costs are critical to the operation of a funeral home. One person transfers allow the prep room employee to transfer and casket without taking another person away from his task to help. More than time is lost when a funeral director must leave a family to help make a transfer in the prep room or an embalmer must wait for help to make a transfer. Removals from a hospital can be accomplished with one person since the transfer at the other end in the prep room can be done with one person.

Without the strain of lifting all week, employees have more energy at the end of the week. With women comprising well over half of the mortuary science graduates, the Body Scoop provides the opportunity for women to make transfers without assistance. Constant lifting causes back injuries. The Body Scoop reduces lifting, thus extending the working life of all of those who have to lift and transfer.

Mechanical lifting devices that work easily and quickly can reduce insurance costs. Some funeral homes have instituted a no-lift policy in the prep room and have reduced their annual workers’ compensation premiums by approximately $2,000.00. The federal government has an ADA program that allows up to $5,000.00 tax credit for an injury prevention program like this.

A lease purchase program is available that provides a five year purchase for about $350.00 a month. The lease purchase program allows a funeral home to purchase a lift without a strain on cash flow.

How does a funeral home purchase a Body Scoop?

A visit or telephone call to Wayne Blacklock or a local distributor or installer will provide a design and estimate that will work for your funeral home. With digital pictures, room dimensions and structure description, an estimate can be provided via e-mail.

Once a contract is signed, the equipment is shipped to the funeral home and the installer will come to the funeral home to properly install the unit and train the personnel.

Contact Wayne Blacklock at 626-233-9574, or by e-mail at b-mobile@earthlink.net, or visit www.bodyscoop.net.

AMERICAN ACADEMY MCALLISTER INSTITUTE

619 West 54th Street

New York, NY 10019

Phone: 800-932-2264

Website: www.funeraleducation.org

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The ONLINE Associate Degree in Funeral Service from AAMI

Who is AAMI?

Founded in 1926, AAMI is the fifth oldest and the largest of the 56 accredited funeral service schools in the U.S  AAMI has a rich history as a pioneer and leader in funeral service education. Our greatest strength is in preparing students to take the National Board Exam (NBE). The NBE passage rate by AAMI students is 90+ percent.

What program does AAMI offer?

AAMI offers its funeral service associate degree program in two formats: (1) the campus program for students who want to attend full-time on-campus in the heart of New York City, and (2) the online program for students who choose to attend part-time or full-time from anywhere in the world that Internet access is available.

What is online learning?

Online learning takes place over the Internet and connects students and faculty who are in various locations across the U.S. and the world. Online learning allows students to take courses anytime (24/7) and from anywhere. Students far from a campus can now participate fully in the degree program of their choice.

Online learning is the fastest growing segment of higher education. It is estimated that over 4.6 million students out of a total of 17 million took one or more online courses at colleges and universities in 2008. This is a 17 percent growth rate from the previous year and far exceeds the 1.2 percent growth of the overall higher education population. Adults especially are enrolling in online courses and degree programs in record numbers because it fits their busy lifestyles and saves them the time and expense of commuting to a campus.

Is the online program the same as the campus program?

The online program is identical to our campus program in the courses offered, the course content and the requirements that a student must complete for graduation. Both programs require the completion of 69 credits of prescribed courses.

Is the online program accredited?

Yes, both the online and campus program are fully accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education.

Are the admission requirements the same as the campus program?

Yes, the admission requirements are exactly the same. At a minimum, a student must have a high school diploma or a GED to be considered for admission.  In addition, an applicant must comply with the specific legal or educational requirements prescribed by the state in which the student wishes to be licensed.

Who teaches the online courses?

Over 80 percent of the campus and online courses are taught by the same faculty.

How long will it take me to complete the associate degree in funeral service?

The typical online student takes eight credits each semester.  Without any college transfer credit, a student taking eight credits a semester can complete the program in 3 years. A student may take a full load of 14 credits and finish the degree in 2 years.

Can I receive transfer credit for college courses I have taken?

Yes.  AAMI provides transfer credit for courses that meet AAMI’s general education requirements.

Will I be able to get the courses I need each semester?

Yes.  AAMI offers all 31 online courses each semester to ensure that students can move through the program at the pace that meets their graduation and career goals.

Can I take all of my courses online from home or work?

You can take 31 of the 33 courses online. The final two clinical components in Restorative Art and Embalming, and the Comprehensive Review for the NBE, will require you to come to New York City for the two-week Capstone experience. The Capstone is offered three times a year (April, August and December).

When would I take the online courses?

Students taking online courses may work on them anytime during the day or evening. Students do not have to be online at the same time as the instructor or other students.

Could I try a few classes to see if I like them before applying for admission?

Yes. You may enroll as a Special Student and take 1-5 credits before applying for admission to the associate degree. Courses successfully completed as a Special Student will count toward the 69-credit associate degree requirement.

What personal skills would I find helpful for this program?

Basic computer skills, email proficiency, using the web for information gathering, word processing, file management, downloading files and related tasks.

Is financial aid available?

Yes. Federal Aid, and in some cases State Aid, is available if you qualify. The application procedure is the same as at any other college.

Contact our Admissions Office toll-free at 1-800-932-2264 to talk to the Director of Admissions or an academic advisor. You may print a copy of the admission application from our website at www.funeraleducation.org.

Preneed and aftercare are indeed extended services that are provided for families to help with one of the most difficult times in a person’s life. The purpose of both of these services is to help individuals with the emotional issues that arise when a loved one dies. However, when you mix providing grief information, education and support with the sale of a preplanned funeral, your consumer can be given mixed messages about your intentions

Historically, funeral directors have been and still are to some extent selling and they have always seen aftercare as a way to provide a service while asking for the sale. However, when you mix providing grief information, education and support with the sale of a preplanned funeral, your consumer can feel that you are just using the guise helping them to make a sale. Instead of seeing your aftercare services as an extension of the care and concern and service you have provided for them during their time of need, they may see it as a way for you to get your foot in the door to make more money. You do not want to leave that impression.

While preneed is a service, it still and always will be a sale, even if that sale is a way for the family to gain a sense of control, gain peace of mind and take care of their family. Where the problems begin in terms of aftercare is how it is defined and presented to families served. Many people think of aftercare as helping with the social security benefits, death certificates, pension information, life insurance and all of the details that must be taken care of after a death occurs. In its broadest definition, that can be considered a part of aftercare or follow-up services. And all these kinds of things are totally appropriate for the preneed advisor to handle.

However, my company has always defined aftercare as information, education, encouragement and support, which is made available to survivors after a death emphasizing and affirming the importance of ritual and memorialization, with the intention of encouraging optimum healing and growth as one travels their grief journey.

If the funeral home representative is there to help with the details that must be taken care of after a death and there is an opportunity to talk about preneed and even provide the service of writing up a preneed agreement, that is one thing. But if the funeral home representative is the aftercare coordinator and is in the home to give information on grief, support groups and coping skills, this is a visit designed to deal with the emotions of grief and not a time to make a sale.

Over the years, I have had aftercare coordinators say that families will ask about preneed while they are sharing grief information and I have been asked how this should be handled.  I will have to agree that preneed arrangements are a way for a family to gain a sense of control during their grieving process. Prearranging is a way to take care of other family members and it feeds the need to nurture during the grief process. I do see prearranging as a positive coping strategy but the aftercare coordinator should be clear about the reason for their visit. The aftercare coordinator should explain that making prearrangements is not the reason for their visit, explain that they are there to support them in their grief. The aftercare coordinator can also let the family know that thoughts of prearranging are an appropriate coping skill and then explain that they will be happy to direct the family’s concerns and desires to make prearrangements with the preneed associates at the funeral home. The aftercare coordinator can then even go to give the family the card of the preneed advisor and if the family would like, the aftercare coordinator can call and set an appointment for the preneed advisor to visit with them.

By keeping the grief information services, the death care services such as death certificates, etc. and preneed sales separate, there can be no misinterpretations about the funeral home’s intentions and the extended services it provides. Aftercare will lead to preneed naturally, referrals can be made to the preneed associates and the services of the funeral home are kept clear and separate.

It might also be helpful to understand that preplanning or prearranging is helpful from a psychological standpoint in situations of long term or terminal illness. Preplanning can help a family acknowledge that death is eminent and it will enable the family to say goodbye and take care of unfinished business. This will also allow you to offer information about bereavement services and to let the family know that through your aftercare services, you will help them understand the process of grief so it is not as overwhelming.

Aftercare and preneed really do go hand in hand, they complete the continuum of funeral care but they must be kept separately in terms of the people delivering the services. At-need, preneed and aftercare complete the funeral service cycle and together they make funeral service a unique and outstanding business.   FBA

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Sherry L. Williams, RN,BA,GMS, GRS, is president and founder of Sherry Williams Enterprises and New Leaf Resources. She can be reached at 800-346-3087, or by email at sherry@newleaf-resources.com, or visit www.newleaf-resources.com.