What To Do After A Death
Following a death, take these steps to maintain proper procedures:
- Death occurring in a private residence, office, or outside of hospice/medical care
When death occurs outside of medical attention provided by a hospital/long-term care facility/hospice care, the police must be notified immediately. Once the police are notified, the medical examiner/coroner must release the remains before the selected funeral home and funeral director can begin preparations. - Death occurring within a hospital or long-term-care facility
After a resident passes, the facility will notify all appropriate authorities and the family so that preparations may begin. If the deceased shared their funeral wishes with the care facility, the facility shall also notify the funeral director of the passing.
Working with a funeral director
A funeral director facilitates the process of the funeral and later the interment as desired by the deceased and the family. Once a death occurs, it is important to contact the funeral director as quickly as possible to ensure arrangements are confirmed or made in a timely manner. Funeral directors have experience helping families through a deeply emotional time, and are ready to assist when you are able to contact them.
First of all, the funeral director will gather information required for the death certificate, including:
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)
Next of Kin (Spouse, Child, Order of Control) | Occupation and Employer
In addition, funeral director may also need pertinent documents required to do all the legal paperwork, those documents could include:
Account Statements | Beneficiary Designations
Life Insurance Policies | Last Will and Testament
If no pre-planning has been done, necessary arrangements need to be made for the funeral service, including:
- 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
With all this information gathered, a funeral director will assist you in the different choices available to honor your loved one. Should you need help in finding the right way to celebrate someone’s life, or need resources for grief counseling, a funeral director will be there to support your needs.
