The deathcare industry looks different in every culture and has shifted greatly over time. Let’s examine why these cultural shifts occur and how you can use history to help you drive impactful and meaningful services to the families and communities you serve.

Around the world, families play a vital role in caring for the body and guiding the grieving process, with traditions that deeply reflect cultural values and spiritual beliefs. In many cultures, family members actively participate in washing, dressing, and preparing the body, often accompanied by rituals or extended vigils. In Latin American countries, families host wakes and build ofrendas during Día de los Muertos to honor the deceased with food, photos, and memories. Similarly, Jewish, Muslim, and Irish customs emphasize respectful handling of the body and family-centered mourning, whether through immediate burial, ritual washing, or multi-day wakes filled with stories and songs. These practices not only honor the dead but also help families find emotional closure and maintain a sense of continuity.

In contrast, American society often distances families from the physical and emotional aspects of death, outsourcing care to professionals. This wasn’t always the case, however. In fact, the deathcare industry arguably began with the need presented by the death toll of the American Civil War. Previously, care of the body was part of a family’s role and an active part of the death/grieving process.

Families of northern soldiers wanted a way to bury their fallen with their families. Embalming bodies became commonplace in America so that families of northern soldiers could hold viewings and bury their dead.

The funeral and death care industry has always been intrinsically tied to our society’s views on the act of dying. By observing the ways our cultures’ attitudes shift we are able to see trends forming and new conversations around the role death, dying, and honoring those that have passed; like those starting to bubble up in traditional media, social media, and more.

It’s important to note that society’s views on big matters like work, death, and love tend to swing the farthest when we’ve collectively gone through a major loss or upheaval. The Civil War not only created a need for the deathcare industry, but it also catapulted Spiritualism into the forefront of the cultural sphere.

Spiritualism emerged as a belief system centered around communicating with the dead through manifestations, seances, and mediums. Defined by its emphasis on direct and individual access to the spirit world, it was like a salve on the wounds caused by the disconnect, distance, and death of the war.

As we look at the aftereffects of the Civil War, many of the societal outcomes stem from a need to feel connected to a loved one. That the physical distance at the time of loss greatly impacted our views, and our needs moving forward. This isn’t the only time we’ve seen major shifts in attitude around this topic.

The great plague in Europe during the 14th century resulted in one-third to half the population dead, the traditional methods of burial were unable to keep up with the large number of people dying on a daily basis, and a change in the way of burial was needed. The known tradition of burying loved ones as a family event with friends in attendance was no longer a possibility considering the dangerous circumstances and the great fear of contracting the disease.

Medicine and our understanding of the world around us was lacking, making death a normal part of everyday life at the time. Due to the sheer scale of the plague however, cultural norms shifted towards fearing the sick and dying.

A similar phenomenon occurred after World War I and the subsequent 1918 Influenza epidemic. The country saw death on such a large magnitude that it kicked off a phase of death denialism that we have been working through ever since. This major event influenced pop-culture of the time including sci-fi and horror writing like HP Lovecraft. In the broader culture, the major loss of life sparked a society-wide fear of appearing sick or unwell. You can see this show up, even today, as conversations around illness or hardship are, in many circles, still considered taboo. At the time, this fear was seized upon by eugenicists as a tool of white-supremacy to propagandize the events and allowed the Nazi party to gain credibility.

Looking at these points in history, it’s clear how major events quickly and thoroughly reshape our practices, habits, and traditions. Bringing our focus to the present and thinking about the Covid-19 pandemic, you start to see parallels between our realities and the realities of individuals recovering from their circumstances throughout history.

After the Civil War, the inability to access their loved ones at this critical time in their lives brought about the cultural powerhouse of Spiritualism to help try and fulfill a need of connection and also influenced how we as a country observe and honor death.

The curiosities around death may look different than they did to previous grieving generations but you can see the influences that made today’s population. People that have experienced 1 too many once in a lifetime experiences to let anything get in the way of a laugh. You also see people connecting to their community, their families, and themselves in a deeper, or maybe more public way, than we’ve seen previously.

Scrolling on the internet you’ll find examples of people connecting to the experience of loss in seemingly unconventional ways.

After the passing of famous drag queen, Jiggly Caliente, her friends and family shared stories and gave her one last “roast, fit for a queen”.

The Last Supper project documents Josheph Nana Kwama Wauah-Darko (Okuntakinte)’s journey connecting with individuals around the world in a final meal. Living with treatment-resistant bipolar disorder, Okuntakinte decided to purse assisted euthanasia in the Netherlands.

While these examples may seem like they come from opposite ends of the spectrum, one could also interpret the two videos as a way to engage in the world around us in the face of death. Finding ways to connect with those in our vicinity and relish the experiences presented to us.

These cultural moments are occurring at the same time that new markets are being created in the deathcare industry.

The role of a death doula has been observed in cultures around the world for centuries. In today’s setting an end-of-life doula offers support to those seeking grief support, typically prior to a person passing. While not new to the world, the idea of a death doula is relatively new to the US. After Covid-19 we saw a rise in interest around the idea, with some end-of-life doula groups training rates more than doubling between 2019 and 2021, as reported by Time.

Are we starting to see a pattern? Major cultural shifts, new markets and needs arise in the deathcare industry? Looking at the effects, it almost feels like we are attempting a full-circle moment. We are trying to get back to the connection, closer to traditions from history. Thinking about what this means for the funeral home directors, the embalmers, and administrative staff, we need to look at the underlying need that was created.

Much like the aftereffects of the Civil War our society, recovering from Covid, never got those final moments with loved ones. Confusion and fear abounded as we tried to grapple with the experience. Much like the aftereffects of the Civil War, we see a need for guidance and comfort as well as the opportunity to relive memories, to share those bedside stories, to connect with the world around us in different ways.

Are there ways you can provide opportunities for connection or events outside of the traditional funeral? Are there opportunities for death or grief counseling as part of your offering? Finding ways to connect with an individual or group’s specific needs will only help your business and the experience of all involved.