Is viewing the deceased recommended?
Martha-Louise Asmus of Manning Funerals is an advocate for viewing a family member as she personally feels it really is cathartic, but again there is a big BUT! Manning Funerals will always offer viewing to a family, but if they are totally averse to the idea, then that decision is accepted. Again, it is important to respect an individual’s needs and sometimes one family member may feel it important to view, while others do not. Martha-Louise sees so many families take the opportunity at these viewings to say things to the person they did not have the opportunity to say in life, or perhaps to see them as they were before they became so sick. Sometimes it provides a “snapshot” of how the family remembered their family member and it helps to erase the memories of difficult times during their illness.