When Death Occurs

The loss of a loved one leaves us feeling overwhelmed and emotional, whether it was sudden or had been expected for some time. You can never be totally ready for the loss of a loved one, no matter how much planning you do. Even the simplest choices can feel overwhelming when your emotions are running high. A general outline of what should be done within the first 24 hours after death is provided below.

When a death occurs at home or a place of business

The police must be informed right once if the person was not receiving hospice care. The coroner or medical examiner will be contacted after the police arrive at the residence. The coroner/medical examiner will then take the body and decide whether any additional steps are required. Before a funeral home may take any action, the coroner or medical examiner must release the body. If the person was receiving hospice care, get in touch with the hospice representative if they weren't there, and they'll let the family know what steps to take.

When a death occurs at a hospital/nursing home/hospice facility

As soon as a death occurs, the employees of a care facility, like a hospital or nursing home, will inform you and the relevant authorities. At the moment of death, the hospital or nursing home will be informed if a funeral home has been assigned to them. If you are present when the funeral director arrives at the hospital, they will ask you a few questions about the deceased's desires and schedule a time for you to come into the funeral home to make preparations. If you are not there, a funeral director will call you to discuss these arrangements.

Informing a Funeral Director

The next phone call you should make should be to an authorized funeral director once everything has been cleared with the relevant authorities. Funeral directors can assist you with arranging the funeral service, choosing a coffin, transporting the body, and obtaining a death certificate. With order to help with those plans, the funeral director will also assist you in notifying the deceased's employer and insurance provider. Funeral directors are here to assist you, offer advice, and make every effort to make the stressful and complicated process of preparing a funeral as easy as possible.

Meeting a Funeral Director

Within 24 hours of a death, you should meet with a funeral director to start making final preparations for your loved one. Making these final arrangements may seem like a very difficult task, especially if you're feeling particularly emotional, but the funeral home staff has years of experience handling these issues and works to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.

Making Arrangements

First the Funeral Director will gather information required for the death certificate.  This includes:

• Full Name and Address
• Marital Status
• Race/Ethnicity
• Date and City of Birth
• Highest Level of Education
• Father’s Name, Mother’s Name (including maiden name)
• Name of Spouse (if married or widowed)
• Occupation and Employer

The funeral director will also need pertinent documents required to do all the legal paperwork, those documents include:

• Account Statements
• Beneficiary Designations
• Life Insurance Policies
• Real Estate Deeds
• Car and Boat Deeds
• Stock and Bond Certificates
• Pre-Nuptial Agreements
• Post-Nuptial Agreements
• Loans and Leases
• Copies of Bills (Hydro, Cable, Phone etc.)
• Last Will
• Tax Returns

If no pre-planning has been done, necessary arrangements need to be made for the funeral service.  These include:

• Scheduling the location, date and time of the visitation and funeral service
• Selecting burial or cremation
• Choosing Funeral Products
• Arranging a cemetery plot
• Preparing an obituary notice
• Scheduling transportation arrangements

A funeral director will help you through each step, building the funeral for your loved one off of your wants, requirements, and desires. From this point, the funeral services can be tailored. Did the person you loved have a favorite sports group? What kind of music did they enjoy listening to? What was your loved one best known for doing? Honoring your loved one's life by thinking back on happy memories will ease the grieving process. Contact us if you have any questions.