What is AfterCare?

AfterCare is a specialized service that continues to help our families after the day of the funeral. This service is divided into two parts: Immediate AfterCare and Extended AfterCare.

Immediate AfterCare assists the family in sorting through the overwhelming amount of paper work that follows a death. As soon as the death certificates are obtained (which might take several days), our AfterCare Director, Ivan Perkinson, telephones the family to find out when he can bring out the death certificates and begin helping them settle the affairs of the deceased. During the AfterCare visit he will answer questions about social security, insurance, titles and military benefits. Even though he is neither an attorney nor a certified financial advisor, he is very experienced in this often confusing process of estate settlement. He has a wealth of information and knowledge. He has visited and helped over 3,000 families.

Each family is uniquely different and special and yet at the same time many of the things that are required to settle an estate are the same. The AfterCare visit will take an average of 60 to 90 minutes. Ivan can accomplish in this hour what would normally take the next of kin several months to get done. Obviously the time is well spent. Each family receives a folder of information and a checklist detailing what they did or did not get done during the AfterCare visit. It is, however the responsibility of the family to take notes and record any appointments information that was gathered during the visit.

Extended AfterCare provides grief support for a year after the funeral. Alice Purviance the Extended AfterCare Coordinator gives individual encouragement by calling and visiting. She provides information about how to cope with grief by writing the quarterly Morriss bereavement newsletter, Step by Step. Throughout the year, Alice presents or coordinates the presentation of grief education workshops. She serves as a grief resource person not only for our families but for schools, nursing homes and churches in the area as well. She describes herself as a listener and is available to talk and answer questions as well. Her email address is aftercare@jtmorriss.com.