Sampling of HFP's Practical & Holistic Education
LEGAL EDUCATION
LOGISTICAL EDUCATION
PRACTICAL EDUCATION & TRAINING
DEATH PLANNING
HOLISTIC EDUCATION
BODY:
MIND & EMOTIONS:
HEART-SPIRIT-SOUL:
ENVIRONMENT:
Don speaks from his pioneering work as former Canadian Outreach Director for the North American
Green Burial Council on topics such as:
PERSONAL STATEMENT
The Home Funeral Practicum does not provide professional death care training. It does not prepare you for a paying job. It is an educational workshop for those wanting to experience the sovereignty, empowerment and healing that comes from reclaiming family and community-led deathcare by oneself, with a community, and/or with a funeral director or transfer service personnel. If you are and end-of-life doula, the post death care skills you'll begin to hone 'ideally' are not to be performed for a family. You are there to educate and guide them in their own sacred work caring for a loved one assisting when needed. If a deceased's physical/hygienic situation moves beyond your legal and or practical management limits it is imperative to call a funeral director for immediate assistance.
The Practicum is funeral director friendly. It extends appreciation to funeral directors who strive 24/7 to protect our public health and support our wellbeing. It honours exceptional directors who understand their role is to not upsell yet simply ask what a grieving person/family/community needs... and deliver it. I know without their formal education, training/apprenticeships, licensing requirements and around the clock availability we would not be as secure as we are here in Canada.
Please know I am available for staging hosted 1-3 day Home Funeral Practicums across Canada. I am also open to requests to teach in the United States.
Thank you for visiting this site! I hope we'll meet some day.
Cheers,
Don Morris
ps: a must read book: Lucinda Herrings, Reimagining Death
pps: an academic's investigation into home funeral vigils see: Alexa Hagherty's pdf.
© HFP 2019
LEGAL EDUCATION
- You'll understand your legal rights to reclaim family and community-led deathcare in your province.
- You'll grasp legal-financial boundaries when helping someone other than family or friends as a home funeral guide. (Only a licensed funeral director or embalmer can receive renumeration for providing body care in Canada. If this boundary is crossed we risk what funeral industry lobbyists have accomplished in 2 provinces and 10 states: the outlawing of the public's legal right to transport a deceased/act in lieu of a commercial funeral director).
LOGISTICAL EDUCATION
- You'll understand logistical procedures for obtaining, completing and filing required documentation including a transport permit and burial/cremation permit in each province.
- You'll understand how to successfully interact with institutional administrators, registrars, funeral directors and medical examiners to maintain control (whenever possible) for a highly rewarding home funeral experience.
PRACTICAL EDUCATION & TRAINING
- You'll receive mock training in moving and lifting a deceased (as funeral directors & transfer services do) including use of a body board for navigating steps, hallways and doors inside and outside a home.
- You'll receive training in respectful undraping/draping/cleansing a mock deceased. Also 'trade' techniques for dressing, casketing, cosmetic application, and securing a casket in a vehicle in accordance with provincial regulations.
- You'll obtain important knowledge re transmittable diseases; universal health precautions including safe disposal of bio-hazardous waste.
- You'll be encouraged to forge positive relationships with local funeral directors, transfer service folks, vital statistics registrars, and medical examiners or coroners.
DEATH PLANNING
- You'll have the opportunity to think through, clarify and make a plan for your own end-of-life rituals and rites.
HOLISTIC EDUCATION
BODY:
- As laypersons you'll realize the importance of maintaining safety and diginity in body handling and taking universal health precautions.
- You'll gain experience in sensitive handling and gentle cleansing a live model's (bathing suit covered) body.
- You'll be guided in the ancient Jewish purification ritual 'tahara' used as a teaching template one that has provided great comfort to family and friends, dignity and honour to a deceased for three thousand years.
MIND & EMOTIONS:
- You'll practice 'self-care' exercises for centering and remaining present. Eg: Breath work, stretching, mindfulness exercise, etc.
- Learn through Don's well of experience ways to face and to overcome fears of being present to, touching, cleansing, and caring for a deceased at home or elsewhere.
- Discuss and practice the custom of reading sacred texts to a mock deceased. (optional)
HEART-SPIRIT-SOUL:
- Practice devotional singing while 'preparing' a model.
- Discuss the possibility of ongoing connections to late loved ones/ancestors. (optional).
- Take part in discussions and demonstrations re respecting 'sacred boundaries’ when labouring in the presence of a newly deceased. These teachings arise from ancient Jewish funeral customs. (optional).
ENVIRONMENT:
Don speaks from his pioneering work as former Canadian Outreach Director for the North American
Green Burial Council on topics such as:
- How to reduce one's carbon footprint in burial or cremation.
- The three categories of green burial fashioned by the Green Burial Council.
- How to create a private family, or public, green burial cemetery.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
The Home Funeral Practicum does not provide professional death care training. It does not prepare you for a paying job. It is an educational workshop for those wanting to experience the sovereignty, empowerment and healing that comes from reclaiming family and community-led deathcare by oneself, with a community, and/or with a funeral director or transfer service personnel. If you are and end-of-life doula, the post death care skills you'll begin to hone 'ideally' are not to be performed for a family. You are there to educate and guide them in their own sacred work caring for a loved one assisting when needed. If a deceased's physical/hygienic situation moves beyond your legal and or practical management limits it is imperative to call a funeral director for immediate assistance.
The Practicum is funeral director friendly. It extends appreciation to funeral directors who strive 24/7 to protect our public health and support our wellbeing. It honours exceptional directors who understand their role is to not upsell yet simply ask what a grieving person/family/community needs... and deliver it. I know without their formal education, training/apprenticeships, licensing requirements and around the clock availability we would not be as secure as we are here in Canada.
Please know I am available for staging hosted 1-3 day Home Funeral Practicums across Canada. I am also open to requests to teach in the United States.
Thank you for visiting this site! I hope we'll meet some day.
Cheers,
Don Morris
ps: a must read book: Lucinda Herrings, Reimagining Death
pps: an academic's investigation into home funeral vigils see: Alexa Hagherty's pdf.
© HFP 2019