What do you do once someone dies?
Strangely, there is not a Post Death topic for me to choose from.
In the last week several people have asked what happens when someone dies, whether at home or in the hospital.
Most if not all States and Provinces and I am sure in other countries as well, have, What to do After Death checklists. They are an incredible resource and available online.
The one for BC is a great table and it indicates what needs to be done and what documentation is needed for each action. But I am getting ahead of myself. They also tell you what the procedures are depending on where a person dies, whether or not it is an expected death and more.
We all should familiarize ourselves on this information for where we live and where our loved ones live too.
By reviewing these documents, we can figure out how many Death Certificates are needed and where a certified copy should be accepted. Here in BC the Funeral Home orders them for the family, but you can order them directly too. We can determine how much money will be needed right away and plan to have it available.
The more you know ahead of time, the easier it is when your LO passes.
I know that funeral homes here will also provide a booklet to fill in with all the relevant information, so when you need your LO's SIN or SSN, you have it handy.
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I live in Southern California which has thousands of people dying on a daily basis. The mortuaries and funeral homes are overrun, and the Los Angeles County morgue is now taking bodies to store in refrigerated trailers. It's absolutely horrifying to imagine this is happening in this day and age, but there it is. The local authorities have advised those who have loved ones die at home and nursing homes to get ice for anyone who dies, because it may be a while before they can be picked up.
My mother is on hospice care, and on Wednesday was diagnosed with COVID-19 courtesy of a stay in a local rehab hospital in late December. When I set her up with hospice on January 2, they asked what mortuary I wanted to use. I called around and couldn't find a single one that would agree to take her, so now her nursing home, the hospice folks, and I have all agreed that if Mom goes, we'll all hit the phones and she'll go to the first place we can find. I talked to the hospice people yesterday and requested that when my mother passes, someone needs to write her full name, date of birth, and my phone number on her arm with a Sharpie. I can't have my mom's body getting lost in case it has to be diverted to a different location. The hospice said they're going to recommend that to all their families right now.
The local authorities have advised those who have loved ones die at home and nursing homes to get ice for anyone who dies, because it may be a while before someone can be picked up.
Aside from these new special considerations for a dying loved one, we all need to be prepared for the inevitable day when our loved one goes and maybe even be over-prepared these days. When my dad died, the mortuary handled ordering the death certificates, but I wouldn't be surprised if these places aren't doing it now because they're so overrun here. Be patient and expect everything to take longer to accomplish.
Thank you. You are correct with Covid still running rampant some communities are having challenges storing the deceased. It is a sad situation.
Your recommendation to right your contact information directly on the body of our loved ones is sadly on point. I cannot imagine how much more devastating it would be for a family to have to delay burial for their loved one not to be found.
Luckily my community, although we had a recent spike of 100 cases, has not had many deaths from Covid and those who have preplanned and prepaid for their funeral have immediate access to the funeral home.
Knowing this information hopefully will reduce anxiety about being prepared.
Thank you for alerting everyone to how devastating this situation is.
At this point in time no one should even need a reminder of what people are dealing with but sadly some people are not catching onto how horrendously COVID-19 has impacted the world.
I am terribly sorry for what you are going through.
Every time I see someone down playing COVID-19 I want to scream!
I sincerely hope that EVERYONE reads your posting and takes it to heart and realizes the horrible reality that people like you are facing on a daily basis.
I will certainly keep you and your mom in my thoughts and prayers.
Keep us posted. We care.