Embalming in Ireland To-Day.
An Overview
By
Edward J.Grey, MBIE,MIAFD,Ma,Ra,Dip,Cm,Dip,Hd,
Chairperson,Irish Division of the British Institute of Embalmers
Having been asked by the President of the Irish Association of Funeral Directors Mr.Connor Massey, to contribute to the IAFD Newsletter an article on Embalming I decided to write an overview of the status of Embalming in Ireland as I see it at the moment.
Our own firm decided to start Embalming just a short six Years ago, We were like most firms and didn’t really know what Embalming was, it’s advantages or disadvantages, but being left with My Fathers Funeral business, I was determined to make a mark even if I wasn’t sure what I was doing. To say I was surprised at the effect a good Embalming service would have on a Funeral establishment would be a very big understatement.
From this and other similar experiences I have discussed with other Funeral Directors I shall proceed to try to enlighten any one who is considering doing the Embalming course or any Funeral Directors who still believe Embalming is not worth while or a waste of the Family’s Money and Time.
Public Awareness;
The General Public are now very much Educated towards the principals of Embalming and are now demanding a superior service from both Embalmers and Funeral Directors as regards to the presentation of the Deceased. To this end Irish Embalmers have had to rise to these demands and look at different ways of meeting them, for this reason the Educational Committee of the Irish Division of the BIE have been very busy, organizing Cosmetic Seminars and Hairdressing diplomas along with Help lines to more experienced Embalmers for People setting up in the trade.
With the Public now aware of these standards it’s up to each and every Funeral Director to ensure that their Funeral Service to each Family is at as high a standard as possible and maybe then We won’t have to worry about all the bad advertising Funeral Directors receive from the press. To present a well embalmed Remains to a Family creates a very lasting impression on them, one they will not forget, ever.
On a recent removal from a Nursing Home in Cork, I asked the Nurse if She ever got requests from Funeral Directors to lay out the Remains, and Her reply was yes, but We refuse, wen I asked why, She replied "Because the Funeral Directors do a much better job, themselves". This Nurse had obviously seen the advantage in presenting a Deceased properly Embalmed and realized that Someone who studies Embalming for two Years or so, knows how to look after a Deceased Person better than anyone else, this attitude is becoming more widespread with the advances being made towards better embalming and open minded embalmers with an open mind to developments reaping the benefits and doing the business.
How do I explain to the Family about Embalming;
Most Funeral Directors find this a hard job especially for the first few times, after that they are inclined to take the responsibility of preparing the Remains as part of the requirements that are demanded of them in their every-day preparations of a Funeral Service. When My own Friends asked how they were going to explain it to a Family My Personnel advice to them was to explain the advantages of having a Funeral Service with a perfectly presented Remains, and that sometimes unpleasant sights have been known to occur after death, which tend to spoil the Funeral especially for the Family concerned. By having the Remains Embalmed by a Qualified Embalmer the Funeral Director and the Family will have perfect presentation and no worries about the Remains even when returned to a Private Residence before the removal. The Family can then have their traditional gathering of Friends and Relations with perfect peace of mind, and not worry about heating, because I have seen when a Family decides to keep their loved one at Home, it’s not the central heating or fireplace that causes the problems for the Remains, it’s the heat that People themselves generate when visiting the Residence. Another problem Embalming solves is if death has accrued in such a way as to disturb the natural features of the Deceased , a Qualified Embalmer/Restorative Artist will in the vast majority of cases be able to restore the features( by use of wax,Special Fluids,etc.especially designed for this purpose) to a presentable level and avoid the closed coffin situation which would otherwise occur. As I see in these situations it’s the Funeral Director and not the Restorative Artist or Embalmer who receive the thanks and credit from the Families concerned, who appreciate it was the Funeral Director who may not have carried out the work themselves, but they thought Of the Embalming when no one else did.
Some Funeral Directors have to battle with Health Board Staff, who sometimes see the Embalming as an unnecessary expense on a Family at a time of grief, but when the Remains are presented usually have to agree with the process, although sometimes this will only be after embalming was left to the stage where it had to be done. As I said earlier Public awareness of embalming is very high at the moment and is going to get allot higher in the very near future, so every Funeral Director should at least know what embalming is and how to explain it to a Family.
What is Embalming?;
Embalming is the scientific treatment of the body of a deceased person ensuring freedom from possible infection to the living and simultaneously helping to restore the appearance of the deceased. Modern embalming has often been described as a service to the living because of the consolation it restores to a Family when they see there loved one so well presented, the amount of times embalmers here "You’d think they were only asleep" are very common, when the Deceased is presented properly the Family tend to look on the Funeral Director in a more professional light as the Funeral Director has now carried out a task which no other professional could accomplish. Modern embalming involves the injection of sterilizing fluids into the circulatory system, these fluids also contain a dye which is the reason the natural colour is restored as well as the preservation and disinfecting qualities which protect the living from any infection which may be present, if embalming is not carried out.
Where does this Embalming take place;
Generally Embalming is best done in specially prepared room’s usually located around the Embalmers premises. these rooms have all the facilities to carry out a complete embalming service. There are several Hospitals around the Country who will allow embalming by Qualified embalmers to be carried out on their Premises, this can prove easier for a Funeral Director who has a long journey to travel to a Embalmers premises. Some Embalmers offer a service where they will embalm at the Residence of the deceased, although this is not always the case so please check with Your Embalmer before making any suggestions to the Family.
Advances in Embalming;
Embalming has come a long road in the last few Years, gaining almost Nation-wide recognition for it’s importance in the Funeral Trade to-day.
Some of the recent advances include the wider acceptance of the longer time needed to allow the Embalmer to complete the presentation with a larger number of Embalmers studying extra skills such as hairdressing,deserology,and cosmetology and these areas are now becoming more necessary accessories as the Public demand more service.
There is no substitute for a good hairdresser to a Lady who has been in care in a Hospital or Nursing Home for along period of time, and this is an area which the Family will be very grateful to the Embalmer if care is taken to ensure that the hair is properly prepared, in fact if the Embalming were carried out and neglect shown to the hair, the Family would no doubt show disappointment.
Cosmetology is another advancement in recent embalming circles and is always an area of discussion whenever Embalmers meet, Careful application of cosmetics is always very effective, but over application has the opposite effect, a good Embalmer is now taken for granted has a background knowledge of cosmetics, and there careful application.
Embalmers are always looking at new cosmetics as they arrive on the market and this is a good idea, to keep an open mind in all areas not only cosmetics. One recent advancement getting great reviews in America is the Dinair Air-Brush make-up system, this system is now being thought in Restorative Colleges through out America and works by simply releasing the make-up through a spray head under pressure from a small pump. The application is very even and end results are very acceptable and very natural.
Glautheraldehyde embalming fluids are now becoming very acceptable around the Country and are replacing the older harsher type fluids because of there penetrating ability and most importantly the natural skin tones achieved when using these fluids. They also have specialist fluids available for reducing swollen cases and tissue gas, and a very exceptional jaundice fluid which has amazing bleaching powers and will not create the green effect associated with older fluids.
Porti-boy embalming machines are presently becoming widespread throughout the Country because of the ease of use by the Operator and especially because of the far superior embalming results achieved when using the same. The distribution achieved when using pulsating pressure is exceptional thus the Sanitation is advanced along with the Presentation.
These are just a few advances being made in the modern embalming facilities available here in Ireland, With Qualified embalmers in almost every corner of the Country, ready and willing to help You the Funeral Director to serve the Family’s who call on You, to give a better service to everyone and hopefully a better name for Funeral Directors in the Public eye.
Edward J.Grey,MBIE,MIAFD,Ma,Ra,Dip,Cm,Dip,Hd,
Grey's Funeral Home, Templemore, Co. Tipperary, Ireland.