How caring for a sick loved one brought about a career change

Drawing on personal experience to provide support

Living through the pandemic proved life-changing for many of us, marking a significant turning point in our lives. But for Sarah Miller, it marked not just a shift, but a complete re-evaluation of her career and life path.

After being made redundant from her job of 35 years in the financial trade, what could have been a moment of despair became a gateway to a deeply fulfilling new chapter. Rather than dwelling on the matter, she saw it as a chance to pursue a long-held heartfelt passion.

Drawing inspiration from her personal experiences, particularly her role in helping care for her late father-in-law during his battle with cancer, Sarah, who lives in Staffordshire, embarked on a journey of learning and self-discovery.

She completed a series of end-of-life qualification courses, driven by her desire to provide support and solace to those navigating the often-overwhelming process of saying goodbye to a loved one and to understand and address the complexities of grief.

Respect and care for the deceased at every stage

Sarah also visited different crematoria owned by our parent company Westerleigh Group, one of the largest independent owners and operators of crematoria in the country. She met our staff and learnt more about the cremation service itself.

“We were introduced to our crematoria colleagues, and went through the relevant funeral paperwork,” said Sarah.

“Afterwards we went behind the scenes to observe a cremation to see first-hand the care delivered by crematorium colleagues throughout all stages of the process, from respectfully placing the deceased into a cremator through to the management of ashes.

“This really helped give me the confidence to be able to answer people’s questions. There are so many things we think about funerals that are not true. We would much rather someone ask 100 questions and have that reassurance.

“We explain that at our direct cremation service, the deceased rests in the chapel while a song of the family's choice is played before the cremation takes place.

"The service is conducted without attendees, keeping costs low and giving families the freedom to celebrate in their own personal way. However, this does not mean that standards are compromised. At Distinct Cremations and Westerleigh Group, every deceased is cared for with exceptional attention, regardless of the service choice."

Sustained demand for simplified cremations

Sarah says COVID-19 has proved to be a disrupter for the funeral industry.

“Because so many people were unable to attend funerals in person, it changed cultural attitudes to end of life practices resulting in a big increase in the number of direct cremations.

“It changed people’s minds about how funerals were performed and made them aware different choices were available, offering them something respectful and dignified at a lower price than a traditional funeral service.”

Sarah says there are many reasons why someone might choose a direct cremation – for some it could be holding a separate church service on the day of the cremation, while for others it may be a celebration of their life together at home.