HOW TO PREVENT FUNERAL CARE BURNOUT
THURSDAY 4 APRIL - 4:00-5:00 pmThe project presented by the professors Gelati and Zielo will focus on the broad intervention of aid to mourners, aiming to promote the well-being and health of both the mourners and the operators themselves who carry out a profession of support for those who suffer. The main objective will be to provide the necessary tools to understand and deal with the burn-out and, in particular, its prevention, which is fundamental for the funeral companies of the future.
The attention will be focused on two essential aspects: the first concerns the emotional and psychological well-being of the mourners themselves, offering support and ritual accompaniment during their mourning process. This approach aims to provide appropriate support that can help those affected to deal with grief and loss in a healthier and more constructive way. The second fundamental aspect is the health and well-being of professionals working in the care industry. Tools and strategies will be provided to prevent and deal with burnout, a condition that can affect anyone involved in providing emotional and psychological support to those experiencing a moment of pain.
In particular, this need was felt in the post-Covid-19 phase, where a state of disorientation and inability to manage a new form of ritual emerged.
Experiential activities are also proposed to help operators develop funeral services.
Key learning objectives:
- Learn today's ritual accompaniment;
- Predict and prevent the psychosocial risks of operators in contact with death and emotional contagion;
- Valuing your work in motivating you to fill your job role;
- Training healthcare and funeral personnel;
- Raising awareness on issues related to death;
- Implement death education strategies in the medical humanities.
Maria Angela Gelati is a thanatologist and death educator, author and blogger.
Together with Marco Pipitone, she directs «Il Rumore del Lutto», the first cultural event focusing on Death Education (Parma, 2007).
As an expert and teacher, she is part of various scientific committees and collaborates with many institutions, including the Master Death Studies & the End of Life (FISPPA Department) of the University of Padua.
She co-founded of Segnali di Vita Aps, the working group Room of Silence and Cults and Scuola Capitale Sociale Aps.
She has published the fairy tales Mi chiamo Happy [My name is Happy] (Mursia, 2020) and L'albero della vita [The tree of life] (Mursia, 2015). She edited the book Ritualità del silenzio. Guida per il cerimoniere funebre [Rituality of silence. Guide for the funeral celebrant] (Nuova dimensione, 2018).
Scholar of ancient and contemporary funeral rituals, archaeologist, thanatologist, professor at the Master in Death Studies & The End of Life (University of Padua), she has carried out research in the field of pre-protohistoric archeology in Italy and abroad. She carries out training activities in Italy and abroad in the field of medical humanities, with experiential projects and laboratories aimed in particular at schools, nurses, and health professionals in residential facilities for the elderly. She has published articles and essays about thanatology including Toccando l’Oltre. Lo sguardo e la cura al limite del corpo [Touching the Beyond. The gaze and the cure at the limit of the body] (edited by Zielo A.), downloadable from the Padova University Press website.
