When Death Occurs

Regardless of the hour, your chosen funeral director should be called as soon as possible after death occurs. He or she will be able to begin by answering your questions and handling the details of funeral arrangements. The very availability of a knowledgeable professional will be reassuring to the family as a steady hand to guide you at a time when confusion seems to be the norm.

The Steps
1) Contact Family - If possible it would always be helpful to have someone with you while you contact other family members. Contacting them is difficult and there are no "right words" to make it easier. Immediate family often will gather to take part in making funeral arrangements. Out of town family will need to make travel arrangements as well, based on the date and time of the visitation and funeral. Your funeral director will help in setting a time when the family can meet to discuss the many details and gather the necessary information.

2) Contact Your Clergy - He or she may be your clergy or that of the deceased, or there may be other clergy known by different members of the family. They are waiting to offer you support and reassurance, to offer guidance and assistance. Call them.

3) Call the professional - Notify the funeral director. He or she has the knowledge to advise and assist you. Be sure to provide more than one telephone number, if available, so you can be reached promptly by return call.

If the death is in a health care facility, give that facility the name of your chosen funeral home and they will alert him when they are ready for him to arrive at the facility. If you do not hear from your funeral director within a reasonable time, call the funeral home. The health care facility may not have contacted them yet because of delays there at the hospital or you may be at a different phone number than that on the hospital records.

If the death is at home, either the hospice nurse or the rescue squad and police will be required to respond. It is important that the proper steps be taken to meet local regulations and record the death with the appropriate medical and government entities. Remember that the questions police and rescue squad personnel may ask are simply to be sure that the required records are complete. They are there to help.

A death out of town, while on vacation or at a second home, can be the most confusing. Call your hometown funeral home and let them make the arrangements unless you are planning a service where the death occurred. They will arrange for the body to be brought back to your hometown.

4) Gather Important Papers - Click this to find an outline that you can use to collect needed information. You might also need information from documents such as:

• Birth Certificate
• Marriage Certificate
• Discharge from the military (DD214)
• Retirement papers

You might also want to write down a list of survivors and the town where they live.

5) Talk and remember - The time to begin healing has come. Allow those around you the privilege of companioning you and sharing with you.