Armstrong Rideau Funeral Home Analysis

When we ask a child about their dream job, many answers often come up: police officer, doctor, astronaut, teacher, ninja, princess, etc. However, it is rare to find a few names on that list, especially that of a funeral director or an embalmer. What would it be like to work, everyday, amongst the deceased? Are there any psychological or emotional repercussions on employees and how might one’s vision on life and death change after such a marginal career? These questions were answered after my visit to the Armstrong-Rideau funeral home, with the help of our guide Alexandre. To start, what leads individuals to pursuing a career in the field of funeral service? For Alexandre, our guide, who works as a funeral director and an embalmer, his path

In fact, it involves helping the relatives emotionally, as losing someone you love naturally invokes feelings of intense grief, sadness and anger. Learning about different psychological and therapeutic ways to console a mourning family in textbooks might be simple, but putting these methods in practice is more complicated. When Alexandre first started working at the funeral home, facing families gave him a lot of anxiety. For example, he would sweat excessively when talking to them and would often feel flustered. In addition, dealing with families also involves juggling the economic side of funeral services and possible ethical dilemmas. As a matter of fact, as we live in a capitalistic country, funeral homes are businesses and still do need to make profit. Alexandre admits that he felt very uncomfortable selling products and services to families at first, especially for those with lower incomes. However, with more years of experience and practice, he feels more at ease in dealing with families emotionally. Furthermore, with new financial aid programs for less fortunate families, the ethical gap between death and business is smaller. Surprisingly, this aspect of his job became a source of motivation, as he needs to face new and different challenges

In fact, when he embalms, he tries to detach himself from the individual and tries not to think on a personal level. Instead, he views them as his responsibility and tries to be as professional as possible. However, working at a funeral home did change his views regarding life and death. By being surrounded by death everyday, he realized how much life is fragile and how much we need to enjoy it while it lasts. For Alexandre, he tries to spend as much time as he can with his family, his friends and his