When families walk out the door after a funeral, they are often handed a few parting items: a sympathy card, a folder containing an estate settlement checklist, and perhaps an invitation to a grief session. Maybe they'll get a check-in call in a few weeks. While these gestures of care are meaningful, they fall short in supporting the long-term needs of grieving families. This leaves families left to face two of the hardest challenges life presents—grief and the complex task of settling a loved one’s life and estate.
Let’s explore this issue and how it can be addressed to better serve families in need.
The current model of aftercare creates a glaring gap. Once the funeral is over, the support from the funeral home quickly dwindles, leaving families to manage grief and estate tasks without a guiding hand.
Grief is not something that wraps up neatly in a few weeks or even months. It's a journey, unique to each person, unfolding in stages. Statistics show that nearly 15% of bereaved individuals suffer from prolonged grief disorder, where feelings of deep sorrow persist for years. One cannot prepare for the way loss will affect their day-to-day life. This means that creating space for ongoing care is vital, from regular support group meetings, to personalized grief counseling sessions, to resources that can meet families where they are in their grief journey.
Similarly, estate settlement is a maze of paperwork and decisions that can feel overwhelming. The process from start to finish on average can take upwards of one year, or over 300 hours, thus making it a significant burden during the post-loss experience. Checklists provided by funeral homes offer a great starting place, but they’re standardized in nature. They don’t account for the individual circumstances of each family. A traditional checklist won’t highlight every account that needs closing or explain how to notify specific institutions.
Families' needs are shifting to a solution that’s comprehensive, guides them through tasks and a journey of grief, and is tailored to honor the unique life of their loved one.
The funeral industry is seeing a shift in families' needs, pointing to a long-term issue that is only starting to be addressed. More and more families recognize that they need support with grief and estate settlement tasks. Funeral homes have an opportunity to pioneer a new way for society to handle loss by offering families a healing service. One that not only addresses their personal grief but offers expert guidance and step-by-step instruction throughout the estate settlement process.
With so many responsibilities on funeral professionals’ plates, how can they add this level of care without stretching themselves too thin? The answer lies in partnering with specialized aftercare services that integrate seamlessly into their existing offerings. With the right partner, funeral homes can offer comprehensive support without overburdening their staff, resulting in more families being able to handle loss holistically.
Our mission at Cadence is to provide our partners and the families they serve with simplicity, clarity, and compassion while navigating end-of-life affairs. Cadence provides a grief-informed digital aftercare solution that supports deathcare businesses in offering comprehensive continuing care to the families they serve. From managing grief to navigating estate settlement, Cadence offers a full spectrum of services to ease the burden on families.
For estate settlement, Cadence’s Executor Assistant provides families with a customized, step-by-step guide tailored to their specific needs. No more guesswork or generic lists—families have the tools they need to navigate complex financial and legal tasks. And they’re not left alone to figure it out; Cadence provides access to human-led support, ensuring there’s always someone there to answer questions and guide them through the process.
Cadence also delivers well-rounded grief support, offering access to multimedia resources, a community of others experiencing similar journeys, and expert-led monthly webinars. Families can continue receiving care long after the funeral, allowing them to process their grief in a way that suits them best.
For funeral homes, partnering with Cadence offers a way to enhance client relationships and build a reputation for truly caring, compassionate service. By offering a comprehensive aftercare package, deathcare professionals will set themselves apart as businesses that go above and beyond for the families they serve.
There’s a missing piece in the current funeral aftercare model, and it’s time to bridge that gap. Families need more than just a checklist and a phone call—they need long-term, personalized support in their grief and estate settlement journeys. By partnering with Cadence, funeral homes can offer a complete aftercare solution, ensuring that no family feels abandoned after their loved one’s service.
Ready to offer the aftercare families deserve? Book a demo with a Cadence representative today to learn how our comprehensive services can make a difference for your business and the families you serve.
