At Time of Death
What to Do When a Death Occurs
When a death occurs, it can happen in a variety of settings, at home, in a hospital, a care facility, or unexpectedly in another location. No matter the circumstances, we are here to respond quickly to provide immediate support. Our team works closely with medical personnel, care staff, and local authorities to ensure your loved one is brought into our care with dignity and respect.
Immediate Steps:
What you do next depends on where the death occurs:
- If a death is unexpected and occurs at home or outside a healthcare facility: Call 911. Emergency personnel and law enforcement will respond, and the medical examiner may be involved before we are able to take your loved one into our care.
- If an expected death occurs under hospice care: Call your hospice nurse and the funeral home. The staff will notify us directly and we’ll work closely with hospice to coordinate taking your loved one into our care.
- When the death occurs in a hospital, or care facility: Staff will notify us directly, and we’ll work closely with the facility. You may also reach out to us and we can begin discussing the next steps following death.
- Out of Town: Contact us first. We’ll handle arrangements to bring your loved one home, wherever they are.
When the Celebration of Life Center is Notified:
The hours immediately after a death can be filled with grief and uncertainty. Our team is here to walk alongside you and handle as many of the details as possible, so that you can focus on your loved ones.
We will:
- Reach out to gather essential information.
- Review any prearranged plans or wishes on file.
- Guide you in choosing what happens to the body after death and how you’d like the remains to be cared for.
- Establish a time to meet to help coordinate services based on your preferences and traditions.
Note: If you wish for the body to be preserved through embalming, timely decision-making is important for the best outcomes. We’ll explain your options in caring for human remains and help you decide what is right for your loved one.
Within the First Few Days:
There are several decisions and tasks that typically take place shortly after a loss. These include:
Arrangement Meeting
We will schedule a time to meet. We prefer to meet in person to walk through the planning process. Please allow 3 hours for this meeting, as families often use this time to reminisce and reflect, which can be healing and helpful in planning. If you would like clergy or spiritual leaders present, we’re happy to coordinate their involvement.
During this meeting, we will:
- Discuss and select service options, such as a celebration of life, funeral, memorial service, visitation, and burial
- Select products such as a casket, urn and burial vault
- Select items and helpers to compliment the service option, such as music, scripture or other readings, service helpers (organist, vocalist, ushers), casket or urn bearers, flowers, stationery products, tribute videos, food and beverage options
- Collect vital statistics for the death certificate
- Help write and choose where the obituary will be published
- Coordinate military honors, religious customs, and media notices
- Finalize costs and provide a written agreement
Learn More
Contacting Others
- Notify close family and friends by phone, text, or social media
- Ask others for help sharing the news
- We can assist with obituary placement, website announcements, and local media notices
Care for Pets, Property, Dependents, and Mail
Make arrangements for anything that needs immediate care, such as dependents, pets, securing the home, and cleaning out a room at a care facility, or forwarding mail.
What to Bring to the Arrangement Meeting:
To make the planning process smoother, please bring the following items along with you:
- A completed Planning Guide.
- Social Security number of the decedent.
- A photo for the obituary, tribute video, and printed materials.
- Any prearrangement paperwork, life insurance and beneficiary designation, or burial policy information.
- Veteran discharge papers (DD-214) if military honors are requested.
- Clothing for presentation in a casket, including: full outfit, undergarments, shoes, accessories, glasses.
- Healthcare directive or written instructions (if available).
- Burial property or location details.
