What to Do When Death Occurs
When death occurs at Home or a Place of Business:
If the person was not under palliative care, the Police will have to be notified immediately.
Many people question this circumstance so explained as plainly as possible….. this means that if someone is in your home, their home, place of business or worship, and they die and this death was in no way anticipated or expected…..the Police have to be notified.
The same holds for someone who arrives home or attends a family member or friend’s home and upon entering finds the deceased and this death was unexpected or sudden. The Police will be dispatched to the home and they will place the call to the Coroner.
The Coroner may make arrangements to take the body to determine whether further action is necessary, or the Coroner will release the body allowing your chosen Provider to be notified to attend the home. In either circumstance, the Coroner is a medical professional who is empathetic, and every Coroner does his or her absolute best to provide answers for family.
If the person was under palliative nursing care, contact the palliative nursing representative if they were not present to determine what the proper procedures are to follow.
In these circumstances a responsible medical team will have, should have, a plan in place as this was an eventual expected outcome. This plan would have both the Doctor and Provider notified well in advance by those providing palliative nursing care as to the part each will play at the time of death in the home; all parties would have indicated compliance with this plan well in advance.
When a death occurs at a Hospital, Nursing Home, or Hospice facility:
The staff of a care facility such as a hospital, nursing home, or hospice will notify the designated family member and the signing physician immediately after a death has occurred.
If a designated Provider has been provided to the hospital, nursing home or hospice in advance, that Provider will be notified at the time of death. If you are present at the hospital, nursing home, or hospice when Wareing Cremation Services arrives to bring the deceased into our care, that individual will ask a few questions and set up a time to come into our offices to make final arrangements.
If you are not present when that transfer takes place, a licensed professional from Wareing Cremation Services will contact you by telephone to discuss an appointed time to meet to make arrangements.
Informing the Provider of choice in a timely manner is essential.
No matter whether the death is sudden and unexpected, or an anticipated passing, bringing the deceased into the trusted care of a Provider initiates a respectful transition.
Realize that in the circumstance of a Hospice or a Nursing Home most especially, this is an almost immediate decision that must be made as the majority of these facilities impose a tight timeline for a Provider, such as Wareing Cremation Services, to attend.
When Death Occurs….. No matter if a death is sudden, or if it something that was a long time coming, the loss of a loved one is emotional and often overwhelming. No amount of acknowledgement can ever fully prepare you for the loss of a loved one. Making the necessary and immediate decisions required when a person dies involves mental and physical strength and attention. How this final disposition is carried out is surrounded by religious, personal, social and cultural considerations. Equally important is recognition of the social and psychological impact that death brings.
Those First Steps……need to be accomplished within the first 12 to 18 hours after death….the sooner the better. Knowing where to even begin is in and of itself a very overwhelming circumstance for some. Decisions on these final arrangements may seem like a very daunting task but……
Wareing Cremation Services is here to make this path less overwhelming and to provide a sense of confidence.