What Should You Do When Someone Dies?

Author

Dignity Memorial- MSC Locations

Posted on

Nov 02, 2021

Book/Edition

Florida - Sarasota, Bradenton & Charlotte Counties

share-this
Share This

For more information on Dignity Memorial, Click Here.
When someone dies, the aftermath can be overwhelming for the person left in charge, and handling a death can seem very confusing and emotional. Regardless of whether a death is expected or unexpected, emotional struggles and feelings of disbelief can cloud thinking, making the task of planning a funeral difficult.

If you have just experienced the death of a loved one, know that Dignity Memorial providers are ready to assist you in any way we can. A caring Dignity Memorial professional with helpful advice and answers to your questions is just a phone call away. Our large network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers ensures that there is a friendly, knowledgeable team member near you.
If you're unclear about how to handle a death in the family, the list below details what you should do immediately and in the days and months following a death.
And remember, you probably don't have to do this alone. Friends and family will most likely want to help. Delegating responsibilities to family members and others you trust not only eases your burden but also allows them to show you how much they care about you and it may even help them begin to heal their own feelings of loss as well.
Consider printing and/or emailing this checklist to yourself and close relatives so that you will have easy access to it in the days and weeks to come.

What to do immediately when someone dies


Notify the authorities that a death has occurred. If you're not in a hospital or with hospice care at the time of the death, call 911 immediately so that the death can be legally pronounced. If your loved one is in a hospital or under hospice care, this task generally falls to the medical caretakers.
Arrange for transportation of your loved one by calling the Dignity Memorial provider nearest you. We will arrange transportation with no obligation to use our funeral services. Be aware of any arrangements that need to be made for autopsy or organ donation before a mortuary or crematorium takes your loved one into its care.
Notify family and close friends of the death. You may wish to ask some of these people to inform others.
Arrange for a caretaker for children, elderly parents and pets. (This is a good task to delegate to someone you trust.)
Notify your loved ones employer, if he or she was still working. Ask about remaining pay, life insurance, benefits or any other work-related details you may need to know.

Locate the will and any pre-planned funeral arrangements.

Select a funeral home, mortuary or funeral director to begin the process of planning a funeral, memorial service, cremation or celebration of life.

What to do before meeting with a funeral planner

Designate a main point of contact, or executor. This might be you or someone else, but whoever it is should also have a friend or family member who can be nearby and help with important decisions and more.
Gather any documents specifying pre-planned or pre-paid funeral arrangements, and obtain the personal information you need for an obituary and death certificate.
Contact any religious or military affiliations of your loved one to determine whether burial benefits or specific funeral plans and services are available. If your loved one was a veteran, visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website atbenefits.va.gov/benefits or call800-827-1000to explore options for veterans. Your Dignity Memorial provider can also inform you of these benefits or help you get the right information.
Start an obituary. Your funeral director can help you write an obituary, or you may choose to write it yourself. Have at least one person proofread the obituary before it is submitted for publication.


What to do before the funeral

Enlist family and friends to be pallbearers, greeters, decorators or food servers.
Check on the home of your loved one if necessary (another good task to delegate). Water plants, throw out perishable food, collect mail and make sure all the doors and windows are closed and locked.
Plan for a post-funeral gathering such as a reception or visitation. Ask your Dignity Memorial provider about the options for catered and non-catered gatherings that will offer comfort to friends and family.
Share the details of the service. Once the date, time and location of the funeral have been set, let those close to you know, and have them share the information with friends and community members. A dedicated Dignity Memorialobituarylets you direct people to one site for the obituary, service details, floral options and a virtual condolence registry.


What to do after the funeral

Get multiple copies of the death certificate. The executor and funeral home director will need to contact the following agencies, most of which will request at least one copy of the death certificate:

Social Security (800-772-1213;socialsecurity.gov) to discuss ceasing benefits, obtaining survivor benefits and Medicare. Veterans Affairs may also be necessary for the cessation of benefits (800-827-1000;va.gov).
Health, life, homeowner, automobile and other insurance companies to cease or transfer benefits.
Utility companies to change or stop services.
Employer for pension plans or employment benefits; each separate claim will require a separate copy of the death certificate.
Probate attorney for asset, trust and estate inventory.
Tax preparer to determine if an estate tax return or final income tax returns should be filed.
State department of motor vehicle services to cancel drivers license.
Bank for safe deposits and remaining accounts; you may be advised to open a new account for the estate.
Deliver the will to the appropriate office for probate.
Notify the post office of the death and the location to which mail should be forwarded. (Going through your loved ones mail can help you become aware of bills, subscriptions or other accounts or services that should be canceled.)
Notify the police if your loved one left behind a house that will sit vacant, so that they can periodically monitor the home against suspicious activity.



Aftercare resources and grief support
Depending on your relationship with your loved one and the traditional mourning customs of your faith, the weeks and months after a death in the family may be extremely difficult. Be sure to take steps to ensure that you are handling the death in an emotionally healthy way, and know that caring for yourself and allowing others to care for you are part of the healing process.
Grief is natural, personal and has no timetable. It may last for a shorter or longer time than you expect, and it may be coupled with feelings of anger, guilt, emptiness or hopelessness. Whatever your experience, know that there are family and friends all around you who are willing to support you at this time.
Its hard to know how to handle a death, especially when that person is a close friend or family member. There are things that need to be done and more than likely you will not have to do them alone. Enlist a support system to lean on. Its so helpful to have someone to assist with planning a funeral and putting someone's things in order. It also feels good to have a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on.


Other Articles You May Like

How a Florida Family Survived Hurricane Helenes Deadly Floodwaters

Amanda and her daughter braced for yet another Florida storm, adding to the countless hurricanes Amanda had endured since moving to the Sunshine State from California nearly 20 years ago. But this one was different. Hurricane Helene was more than a stormit was a force of nature that tore across the Gulf, unleashing an unimaginable torrent of water upon the Southeastern U.S. When Helene turned everything upside down, Amandas family found themselves relying on the most unlikely of guides: mermaids that saved them from deadly waters.The storm announced herself around 6 p.m., and Amanda knew immediately that Helene was unlike anything shed experienced. Along with her daughter and their dog, Rocco, Amanda watched as water pooled on the patio. At first, it was just a nuisance, something to keep an eye on. But soon, water began to trickle through the doors, then surge like an invading tide, eventually creating a current within their apartment. Blankets floated across the living room within half an hour.Urgency surged through Amanda. They hurriedly moved valuables to higher ground, but by 10 p.m., things went from dire to unimaginable as water levels rose from ankle-deep to waist-deep. In that moment, Amanda heard a loud crackthe power was out. A chilling darkness engulfed them as Amanda grabbed her daughters medications and hurriedly secured life vests on both of them.Im not sure what was in the water, but it smelled rancid, like a mixture of red tide and raw sewage, Amanda recalled. Outside, the floodwaters had reached the height of their street signs, obscuring any familiar landmarks. Just when they thought hope was slipping away, something miraculous happened. In the dark, through the murky waters, a light appearedbioluminescence, a natural glow often occurring in marine life. The shimmering light illuminated Rocco, guiding them to the dog and shining a light on a path to safety.Amandas daughter, enthralled by the mysterious glow, called them mermaids, and for Amanda, they might as well have been. She pushed her daughter and Rocco through a window via the path the bioluminescence had highlighted, and together, the family swam through the flooded streets, joined by fish they couldnt see in the darkness of the night but could feel pushing against them while they swam.After hours of uncertainty and struggling to find a place to rest for the night, Amanda and her daughter found temporary refuge in a Publix parking lot alongside about 30 others displaced by Helene. They didnt exactly rest as you might imagine. The next morning around 6 am they returned to their apartment briefly to confirm that the worst was reality, nearly everything in their apartment was lost, and the stench of the flood water remained.With FEMAs support, they have since found a new apartment, but the memories linger. My old apartment complex keeps calling and saying theyd love us back, Amanda shared. But neither my daughter nor my dog will go near that place.Amandas LSF Pinellas CMO family has enveloped her in love and support, from offering shelter to providing clothing and daily encouragement. Its made me see my clients struggles in a different light, Amanda said. When youre left with nothing, it gives you a new compassion. Its about people, not things.When news broke that Hurricane Milton would be making landfall nearby in a similar area less than two weeks after Helene, Amanda had no hesitation evacuating. She and her daughter joined a coworker and her family in Orlando to wait out Milton further inland.Despite knowing they were safe where they were, Amanda admitted she found herself driving to a Publix near where they were staying in Orlando to find a moment to herself. Amanda sat in her car and cried. Storms like Helene leave an impact that is often unfathomable if you havent faced them yourself.As Amanda, her daughter, and Rocco begin to rebuild, many in the LSF community are still searching for a new sense of normal after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Though the storms have passed, their impact lingers, echoing in the hearts of countless Floridians.Please consider supporting Florida residents in their journey to rebuild. The LSF Hurricane Relief Fund is urgently asking for your support to provide temporary and long-term housing for children and families forced to evacuate. Visit LSFs Hurricane Relief Fund to learn more about how you can help.

LSF Family Focus: Services

We are proud to share that our Connecting Family Paths team (Prevention and Diversion services) is Safe Care accredited!What exactly does it mean to be Safe Care accredited. In short, it means our Safe Care certified case managers can provide extra support to families in need. This evidence-based program ensures case managers have the tools and knowledge to help educate parents in four key areas parent/child interaction, parent/toddler interaction, health and safety. By having this additional level of training, our case managers can work on parenting with families involved in the child welfare system. Ultimately, this leads to better outcomes.At LSF, our goal is to ensure children stay with their parents, while doing so in the healthiest, safest way possible. Knowing that parents have been given the tools and resources to better understand parenting and childcare helps us know we are offering our families as much assistance as possible.LSFs Connecting Family Paths became Safe Care accredited in 2022 and have maintained this accreditation since. Four of our case managers are currently certified. These team members have undergone a rigorous training curriculum that ensures they are able to teach the skills effectively.To learn more about Safe Care accreditation and read statistics about the difference Safe Care curriculum makes for families, visit https://bit.ly/44XV3fq

How to Recognize and Respond to Human Trafficking: A Guide to Saving Lives

In Florida, human trafficking is a crisis hiding in plain sight. From bustling tourist hotspots to quiet rural communities, traffickers exploit many of the vulnerable communities we serve, like the impoverished, the homeless and immigrants.For many of us, the signs go unnoticeda worker at a restaurant or a young girl in a hotel lobby. Florida ranks among the top states for reported trafficking cases, but behind the numbers are real people with stories of resilience. At LSF we are stepping into the fight. Through awareness campaigns, survivor-centered services and prevention programs, LSF is creating pathways to hope and safety across the state.Traffickers prey on vulnerabilities, exploiting individuals through force, fraud or coercion for purposes such as forced labor, sexual exploitation, and domestic servitude. Recognizing the signs of trafficking can save lives, but how do you spot something so deeply hidden? Utilize our human trafficking roadmap to learn more about signs, at-risk populations and actions you can take.In order to best understand human trafficking, we can look at the most basic definition. The Oxford Dictionary defines human trafficking as the unlawful act of transporting or coercing people in order to benefit from their work or service, typically in the form of forced labor or sexual exploitation.To help you in your work of better understanding human trafficking, the ways to spot it and how to help, weve prepared a free printable roadmap to assist you in prevention.Human trafficking thrives in darkness, hidden by fear and ignorance. By learning to recognize the signs, you can become a lifeline for someone in need. Every call, every report, and every act of awareness brings us closer to ending this exploitation. Through our Trafficking Victim Assistance Program (TVAP), LSF offers comprehensive support to foreign-born trafficking victims in the Tampa Bay area. This includes case management and assistance for families. Our residential youth shelters also serve teen victims of human trafficking. For more information, contact our Tampa office at (813) 875-1408 or visit lsfnet.org.If you or someone you know needs immediate assistance, call the FDLE Hotline at 1-855-352-7233. Together, we can shine a light on trafficking and help restore freedom and dignity to survivors. Sources:National Human Trafficking HotlineWebsite: https://humantraffickinghotline.orgU.S. Department of Homeland Security\u2019s Blue CampaignWebsite: https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaignU.S. Department of State: Identifying and Assisting a Trafficking VictimWebsite: https://www.state.gov/identify-and-assist-a-trafficking-victimUnited States Institute Against Human Trafficking (USIAHT)Website: https://www.usiaht.orgJamilyn NewtonLSF North West Regional Program Director