What to Do When Someone Dies

1. Don’t move the body unless you have medical permission or a permit to do so.

2. If the death was expected, you may call the attending physician or a hospice nurse to sign the death certificate. (A death certificate is always required and must be signed by the proper authority.)

3. If the death was unexpected or its cause was uncertain, violent, unusual, or due to a contagious disease, dial 911 or call the police.

4. Call a close friend or family member to come and help you. Emotional support and an extra pair of hands can make a big difference.

5. Ask whether the deceased had already made final arrangements or had expressed wishes about what he or she wanted. Check to see if any prepayments have been made for funeral expenses and whether or not a burial plot has been designated.

6. Determine whether and when there will be a funeral, prompt burial, or a cremation and select the funeral home or crematorium that will take care of the arrangements. Depending on the weather, a body can be left at home (as is) for as long as seventy-two hours. So don’t feel you must make a snap decision about where to send the remains if someone dies and no plans have been made.

7. If you need to relocate the body before burial plans are finalized, you can have the body picked up from a home or hospital and transferred to a funeral home for temporary storage, for which you pay only a transfer fee. Make sure this situation is understood by the funeral director so there is no mistake about your option to choose a different funeral home after you decide what you want to do.

8. Inform friends and family about the service once details have been finalized, or choose someone to do this for you. (See “Ten Facts You Should Know About the Death Care Business,” below.)

9. Keep careful track of the original death certificate and make several extra copies. The death certificate will be essential when dealing with Social Security and insurance companies, and when selling real estate or other personal property that belonged to the deceased.

10. If you don’t already know, ask someone close to the deceased where the obituary should appear. Consider alumni and trade magazines as well as newsletters for clubs and other special interest organizations. The funeral home generally places an obituary in the local paper for a small charge.