In a Hospital or Nursing Home

When a death takes place at a hospital or nursing home, the medical staff will notify you as well as help you take care of all necessary legal steps. Be sure to inform the hospital/nursing home staff regarding the funeral home that will be handling arrangements or if one has not yet been determined. Once the funeral home has been contacted, feel free to inform them if the family will be waiting for the director, going home, or if there are family members still in transit to see the deceased before the transfer to the funeral home.

There might be some situations where a medical examiner will be involved. These include deaths in the emergency room or instances where an injury may have contributed to the death. In these situations, an autopsy or medical investigation may be required. The medical staff will inform you if this is the case.

Keep in Mind: Some facilities do not call the funeral home on the family’s behalf so be sure of who will be contacting them. Also, many hospitals will work with organ and tissue donation groups and often times, bodies cannot be released to the funeral home until the family has been in touch with a representative. Be sure to communicate yours or the deceased’s desires for donation with the medical staff or organization as soon as possible so as not to delay the process of transferring care to the funeral home.