Funerals

One of the things I potentially have to do in my practice is organize funerals for members who die. While this is not an everyday occurrence, it is interesting to note that I may have to plan my second funeral in the three weeks at my placement.

When you think about funeral planning, maybe your mind goes to Six Feet Under. After my brain leaves HBO, I start thinking about the funerals that have been planned lately in my life. Everyone is really emotional. There is a lot of sorrow about the loss of a family member makes it very hard to plan.

It is a lot different when you are planning a funeral for a person you do not know. In the case of homeless people in Ontario, Ontario Works is able to provide assistance to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to have a funeral. This support is based on having proper forms of identification for the deceased. If there is no information, then it is harder to get the assistance from OW.  It is not a luxurious affair. The flowers are fake, the minister shows up just before the service and the coffin is powder blue.

While this seems a little bleak, I still think it is more important that the funeral happens. Social work ethics stress the importance of the client and their dignity. My observation is that very few people come to mark the end of a homeless person’s life. But the guys I have worked with all have interesting stories, commonalities with me and lessons for me too. We work so hard to celebrate life and make it worth living. We also hold sacred the rights of passing on, and this reverence needs to be upheld for all people – no matter their socioeconomic status or housing situation.

I am thinking a lot about countertransference too. In the past year I lost my grandfather to cancer and the guys I have been working with have also lost their lives to this illness too. It does make these funerals hit a little closer to home, but so far I have not noticed any change in my practice because of it… I will monitor this issue to see what changes.

Death inevitably follows from life. We work very hard at my placement to celebrate and remember the lives of all our members. This is one of the more unique aspects of the work I do