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Comforting the bereaved

March 20, 2021

Birgit Scheffler's work involves something that's next to impossible during the coronavirus pandemic: comforting the bereaved while keeping her distance. And these days she deals with death on a daily basis. Scheffler is a funeral director.

https://p.dw.com/p/3qtpr

In the midst of the pandemic, Birgit Scheffler and a friend went into business for themselves. Scheffler gave up her job with a media outlet and opened a funeral home. Ever since her mother's sudden death she'd been thinking about how to make the process of saying your final farewells to a loved one a less painful experience. She wants to offer her clients comfort and support in their time of grief, and to help them heal. Being a funeral director is Birgit Scheffler's dream job. She's witness to much suffering, but, as a mother of a young daughter, she's careful not to take her work home with her. Still, she works irregular hours, because death waits for no one. COVID-19 has made undertakers' jobs even more challenging. Before a funeral, Birgit Scheffler can hardly sleep. She's all too aware of her responsibility for ensuring the deceased is given a worthy sending off. A report by Marie Kamprath.