Bearden Funeral Home in Dawsonville recently joined other leading funeral homes in North Georgia to offer Angel Wings services for their clients.
Angel Wings is an organization of professional bereavement specialists and trained volunteers who work with member funeral homes to provide extending bereavement support to families in the days, weeks and months following the loss of a loved one.
Phillip Williams, CEO of Angel Wings’ parent company, Professional Bereavement Support, and an ordained minister, said the partnership allows families to receive grief support weeks and months after the death of a loved one.
“For years, funeral homes have provided grief support to families, but professional care dropped off a few days after the funeral, when in fact, families take weeks and months to return to normal life,” he said. “We formed Angel Wings to help families following a loss.”
According to Williams, Angel Wings is selective in their partnerships with funeral homes.
“The home must be genuinely compassionate and really care about families and better serving their community,” he said.
Bearden said he felt he needed to offer more support regarding follow up care with families.
“This is a good fit for us and this community to be able to offer more in the nature of counseling than we have in the past,” he said.
With Angel Wings, families have access to a 24-hour phone number if they need to talk, as well as access to counselors trained in grief issues.
“The most important thing for me is that our families know there is always going to be a friend here for them as long as they need one,” Bearden said.