Bereavement professionals such as funeral directors, embalmers, cemetery workers, crematorium operators, and their support staff may regularly engage with diverse, potentially psychologically traumatic events. These exposures can lead to a variety of mental health injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, panic disorder, and alcohol use disorder. Recent research has provided important information about those experiences, such as the scope of the challenges, the potential impacts on mental health, factors impacting health, and some of the opportunities to help protect mental health and provide support.
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Dr. R. Nicholas Carleton, a professor of psychology at the University of Regina and a registered clinical psychologist in Saskatchewan, introduced his discussion on challenges, strategies, and coping by emphasizing that it was really an introduction to mental health.

“There’s a long-standing notion that we are either mentally healthy or mentally unhealthy and none of the data bears that out,” Dr. Carleton explained. “It’s simply not the case. Most of us, throughout the course of a day—and certainly throughout the courses of weeks or months on end—we shift along a continuum from healthy, to having reactions, to possibly being injured, to being ill or meeting diagnostic criteria for one or more mental health disorders. And this is normal.”
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Odds are that people probably experience changes in their mental health throughout the entire day. Dr. Carleton described a scenario where someone wakes up in the morning and everything is fine and that’s terrific, only to move on and have somebody cut them off in traffic, and for a few minutes, they might be reacting—might even be “injured” for a few moments—but they recover very quickly and then they’re at work and moving on with their day.

Right now, all of us are sharing a massive significant environmental variable that’s impacting our mental health—and that’s COVID-19. The impact of the pandemic is underlying all of the other things that impact us, including our biology. If we’re sick, if we have a flu, if we have a cold, that impacts our mental health. If we’re healthy and we’re exercising regularly, we’re active, that impacts our mental health and our mental health impacts our physical health as well.
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If we’re not feeling very happy about something, if we’re worried, if we’re depressed or down, that has a reflection in our physical capacities. We also see those same kinds of challenges with respect to our social environment. If everything is going well with our friends and our family and we’re regularly engaged, that also serves a protective function so that we’re more likely to feel physically healthy and we’re also more likely to feel psychologically healthy. Our biology, our psychology, and our social environment all come together on an overlapping Venn diagram that sits on top of our environmental stressors.

Dr. Carleton informed listeners that it’s also important to remember that mental health has nothing to do with inherent weakness. “We have no evidence that says that there’s one gene or one feeling or one thought or one behavior or one experience that is solely responsible for our mental health or mental state. And certainly not for having difficulties with mental health,” he said. “When we talk about people who are having difficulties with mental health in most cases it’s a function of high stress or chronic strain or physical exhaustion and maladaptive coping all coming together to challenge an individual’s experience.”

He pointed out that anyone can develop symptoms, saying, “At the end of the day, even the most resilient of us is still human. We still experience all kinds of highs and lows in our lives.”

Moving on to talk about potentially psychologically traumatic events that might apply specifically to some of the work that deathcare professionals perform, Dr. Carleton spoke of experiencing, witnessing, or learning about something potentially injurious to a close relative or a friend that may cause mental health injury. He said that other potential events include repeated exposures to distressing details of significant threats such as exposure to war, threatened or actual physical assault or sexual violence, kidnapping, hostage-taking, torture, and mechanisms of severe physical injuries, like motor vehicle accidents and industrial accidents.

“You’re exposed to these things because if someone dies as the function of one of these events, the last responder is you and so you are exposed to these on a regular basis,” he said. “As a species humans are generally resilient and adaptable. So even these kinds of events, when we’re exposed to them, we can bounce back, we can recover. Most stressors—even repeated exposures to these kinds of events—are not typically overwhelming. But you have to remember that our experience of whether something is overwhelming is influenced by our biology, our psychology, and our social environment, as well as what’s happening behind the scenes in our broader environmental variables.”

Dr. Carleton was talking specifically about events that are potentially psychologically traumatic. He said that the most common thing we think of is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when we think about a mental health injury. PTSD can be one thing that happens following exposure to one or more potentially psychologically traumatic events where we don’t bounce back, where we aren’t able to be as resilient in that moment because of any number of things that have come together. It’s a mental health injury for which there are effective treatments that can provide symptom relief for a great many people and it’s one of the disorders that can follow exposure to the kinds of traumatic events Dr. Carleton listed. It’s also not the only mental health injury or disorder.

Major depressive disorder is actually more common, even among people exposed to these ongoing potentially psychologically traumatic events. “There are also difficulties with substance abuse and dependence disorder,” Dr. Carleton explained. “You’re taking the substance for longer than you expected. You’re taking the substance in order to avoid or manage symptoms that you’re having or to change your emotional status. The problem isn’t necessarily volume. It can be the amount that someone’s consuming. But more often than not, the challenge can be that one drink might be too many and ten might not necessarily mean there’s a problem. It depends on how you’re using and what you’re using for. And if you’re using as a function of trying to manage other symptoms, that’s a good indicator that you can probably benefit from some additional support. It’s not the only indicator, but it’s certainly one of them.”

Dr. Carleton underscored that only licensed qualified experienced persons can and should diagnose disorders or imply diagnosis. “Dr. Google gets us part of the way there in some cases, but that’s not super reliable,” he said. “If you’re looking for help with mental health or you’re concerned about your mental health, you want to talk to a registered, licensed, evidence-based mental health care provider who can provide you with information about where you’re at and possible solutions to get you to where you’d like to be.”

Dr. Carleton turned to discussing some of the urgent warning signs and symptoms. First, he pointed out that if any symptom lasts longer than a week, at that point it’s a warning sign that your symptoms may benefit from some intervention, particularly difficulties with falling or staying asleep, intrusions, numbing, changes in your behavior, or sudden increases in substance use. Those are also potentially urgent warning signs and symptoms.

Suicidality, homicidality, violence, or sudden dramatic increases in substance use should all be taken as urgent warning signs where it’s time to get in to see somebody soon. “It doesn’t mean necessarily that we need to call 911, although that is a possibility,” Dr. Carleton said. “It does mean that help is needed sooner rather than later.”

HOW CAN MANAGERS AND COLLEAGUES SPOT SIGNS OF BURNOUT AND ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO SEEK HELP?
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According to Dr. Carleton, the more open you keep communications, that peer connection, can help. But if you identify big behavior changes—someone normally jovial now lashes out, as an example—it’s a good indication that you should check in with them. The more engaged you are with your team with regular communication, the better positioned you are to support them.

“What can you do? Well, I think first and foremost it’s important to keep in mind that mental health is a journey, not a destination,” Dr. Carleton advised. “It’s not something you check off as a tick box because you did it well today, any more than physical health is.”

He encourages deathcare professionals to monitor both their physical and their mental health. “We have tools that we make publicly and freely and anonymously available on our website for our public safety personnel, and those tools might be beneficial for you as well,” he offered. “They allow you to compare your responses to the general population, and, in doing so, you get immediate anonymous feedback that you can use to see where you are sitting relative to everybody else.”
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Because changing mental health requires culture change because of stigma and misinformation, it’s extremely difficult and takes a long time to accomplish. Dr. Carleton believes it’s important that we all pay attention to the idea that mental health is something we’re trying to change at a population level, but he pointed out that for people who are regularly exposed to potentially psychologically traumatic events, they may very well be forced to engage with culture change more directly than everybody else. He encouraged listeners to engage in ongoing monitoring regularly and get help sooner rather than later.

What can we do in addition to the monitoring? The doctor advised people to look to their social support. “Talk about your experiences. Not necessarily about the details of what happened in your job and specific day, but how you’re feeling and what else you’re doing in order to manage those feelings. If you’re having difficulties with the symptoms we’ve discussed, talk to family or friends. Make sure that you keep a regular diary so that you can watch what changes for you that supports or undermines your mental health.”
“As cliche as this sounds—and it sounds cliche in part because we all keep saying it—engaging in regular healthy behaviors enhances your coping ability and helps to maintain your mental health,” he continued. “So, exercising regularly, even light exercise: simple walks, getting outdoors, 20 minutes. Any exercise at all tends to be beneficial as long as it’s regular.”

Dr. Carleton added that people should watch what they eat. Eating healthy is important because the highs and lows of sugar affect your biology, which impacts your mental health as well. Substance use and misuse is much more problematic and a much more slippery slope than most people realize. If, for example, you’re using alcohol to manage your emotions, that’s a good indication that there’s a better set of skills you can access to manage those emotions.

He also emphasized that, where possible, it was important to maintain routines, even in the face of COVID-19. “The more routines that you can build in, probably the better off you’re going to be, as long as those routines include strict work-life balance where possible,” Dr. Carleton said. “As a professor, I can tell you that the boundaries between my work and my life are permeable at times. They’re permeable most of the time, but it’s important to try and manage those separations because that’s what’s helping to protect and sustain your mental health. So making sure that you’re managing that is an important part of living an ongoing happy, healthy career.”
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Last but not least, Dr. Carleton addressed early evidence-based interventions. “Evidence-based interventions are evidence-based for a reason. It’s because they’re helpful. It’s because they’re beneficial and there’s proof, there’s research that says that they work.” He spoke of the importance of finding the right type of practitioner to offer those interventions. “Psychologists is a protected term. So is psychiatrist. But counselor, therapist, and healer are not protected, which means that anyone can take them—and there is a lot of variability among them. That doesn’t mean there’s not good counselors, therapists, and healers. It’s just that there are a lot fewer restrictions on those names and titles than there are on things like psychologist or psychiatrist. So I recommend you demand registered and licensed, experienced, evidence-based, empirically-supported mental health care (which is a mouthful!), but you can find that from colleges, registered provincial associations, and registered state associations.”

Many business owners approach the Internet and its options with a touch of uncertainty. We've all heard of "the cloud," but what exactly is it, and why should you trust your important business data to a place that you can't see or touch?

If you are in need of a safe, secure, and highly accessible location for your cemetery or funeral home's data, then maybe you should trust what the cloud has to offer.

Many definitions of the cloud seem to be long-winded and difficult to understand. But simply put, the cloud refers to secure, centralized computers that process requests and deliver data to users over the Internet.

For example, your email is in the cloud. While you access your email either through a browser or app intended specifically for email, anything you send or receive is actually stored in the cloud. And it's not just text. Any attachments that you include or insert into an email, including documents, pictures, videos, and more, are all now in the cloud. Imagine you upload an image of a burial service and send it to a family via email. But then your laptop breaks, and you lose that image. You can simply use a different computer to go back to the previously sent email and retrieve the file, as it is now stored in the cloud. You – and whoever you sent it to – can access it when they want to.

HOW DOES "THE CLOUD" WORK?
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When understanding how the cloud works, it's important first to understand the phrase "software as a service" because it's fundamental to the concept. "SaaS" means applications that are available in the cloud on-demand, often procured via a subscription. These applications are fully functional in their own right. You won't need anything else to set them up as all the details – the servers, the databases, the network setup, and everything else – are taken care of by the provider, completely invisible to the customer. Instead, the customer is provided with a unique web address from which they can access the software just by opening a web browser, and they are ready to start.

Storing your data in the cloud offers your cemetery or funeral home many new options and benefits. Advantages of using the cloud include cost, flexibility, accessibility, and security.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

​The most important, and most obvious, reason to use the cloud is that it makes financial sense for your business. Users have access to high-performance software at a lower cost because they're sharing the space with multiple users. While many people might do the math and determine that it is cheaper to buy an on-premise server than pay monthly subscription costs, they may not be factoring in the prices for upgrades, maintenance, and even factors like electricity.

Along with the financial benefits, the cloud provides the convenience of flexibility. As your cemetery or funeral home grows, you can adjust your subscription based on your capacity or capability needs—all with very little effort on your part.

Another advantage of using the cloud is accessibility. You may keep several filing cabinets in the back office to handle all of the information that you deal with every year, but this is unnecessary with the cloud. It can safely and securely hold all of that data without the necessity of keeping a paper copy on site. You can quickly and efficiently pull up a single record or search a whole section of your cemetery, all with a few computer clicks. Plus, this reduces the chance of filing errors, like when you accidentally filed the 'Smyth' records under 'Smith.'

The cloud is highly accessible in yet another way. The past year saw many companies transition to stay-at-home work schedules due to the global pandemic. Those that were already using cloud-based management software had it much easier in this respect. Staff could continue working from home without missing a beat, accessing the software, and all of their data via the cloud.

Using the cloud for data storage also offers an attractive benefit of safety from data loss. Your data is highly valuable to your company. However, your computer has a limited lifespan that is measured in years, not decades. Typically there's no warning that your computer is about to die. When it does, you'll lose everything you have on it unless you back it up, which you can do with the cloud.

Storing data in the cloud also means that it's safe from disaster—not just from fire or another major calamity—but from Jane who accidentally spills her Coke across her desk or from Bob with his bad habit of misfiling paperwork. In the cloud, your data is all in one centralized location, is automatically backed up, and is protected from natural disasters or other interruptions.

When stored in the cloud, your data is also highly secure from cyber attacks. While cloud servers might offer a tempting target to cybercriminals, cloud service providers are highly trained and financially backed to prevent such a breach. Individual office computers have a higher risk of being compromised than data managed by cloud storage companies.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?

We can't say that the cloud is without its share of challenges. For instance, with cloud storage, you rely heavily on your internet connection. Everyone in the office and all remote workers will need a reliable internet connection with reasonably fast speed and acceptable bandwidth. You're at the mercy of your internet provider, and if you experience an internet outage, you will be without access to your data until your provider repairs the issue. However, it's important to realize that almost every business must rely to some extent on the Internet, so this challenge is not unique to cloud users.
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A commonly perceived challenge is that of the amount of control you maintain. This is a myth and can be easily mitigated. Be sure that you fully understand the terms of your agreement with the cloud provider to learn the degree of control you have over the system and service. It is important to note that when you move to the cloud, you still maintain full ownership of all of your data, at all times, forever. You also retain control over who is using your system and what is done with your data.

The cloud is everywhere today. Zoom has become a noun, verb, and adjective, as well as a household name ever since the pandemic changed the workforce. What is Zoom but cloud meetings? Dropbox is ultimately just cloud storage. Netflix? Cloud movies. The cloud is everywhere, and you probably already use cloud-based apps regularly – they have become so ubiquitous that nobody gives them a second thought.

It has never been easier or safer to transition your business' data to the cloud. And because your cemetery or funeral home's data can be more accessible, safer, and more efficient using a cloud-based system, now is the time to switch. Get in touch with us today to talk about how cloud-based cemetery or funeral home management software could work for you.