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Episode Guide
Recommended steps to take
- The first legal documentation that will be required is a pronouncement of death.
- Notify friends and family.
- Look for any instructions your loved one may have left regarding final arrangements.
- Contact a funeral home.
- Notify a cremation-specific company or a body donation organization, such as a medical school.
- Prepare final arrangements and notify the family.
- Right away: Prepare other issues like dependent care, pet care, and security of the home and vehicles.
- Within a few days: Arrange to have the mail forwarded.
- Within a few days: Arrange to cancel or pay bills.
- What are the different types of funeral services?
- •What should I do if my loved one has a will?
- •What do I need to do if I am the executor of the estate?
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Jun 11, 2020 · A practical guide for handling the personal and legal details after a loved one's death, from getting a legal pronouncement to settling the estate. Find out how to plan a funeral, notify friends and family, secure the property and more.
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- Immediately 1. Get a legal pronouncement of death. If no doctor is present, you’ll need to contact someone to do this. If the person dies at home under hospice care, call the hospice nurse, who can declare the death and help facilitate the transport of the body.
- Within a Few Days After Death 7. Arrange for funeral, memorial service, and burial or cremation. Search the person’s documents to find out whether there was a prepaid burial plan.
- Up to 10 Days After Death. 10. Obtain the death certificate (usually from the funeral home). Get multiple copies; you’ll need them for financial institutions, government agencies, and insurers.
- Know the Person's Wishes. For an elderly friend or relative: Know the location of the will, birth certificate, marriage and divorce certificates, Social Security information, life-insurance policies, financial documents, and keys to safe deposit box or home safe.
- What to Do as Soon as Possible
- What to Do Within A Few Days
- What to Do Leading Up to The Funeral, Memorial Service Or Celebration of Life
- What to Do Within A Few Weeks
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1. Get a legal pronouncement of death.If your loved one died in a hospital, a doctor can take care of this for you. However, if your loved one passed at home or in another location, you'll need to know who to call. If he or she passed away while in hospice care, call your hospice nurse. If your family member wasn’t at a hospital or in hospice, call...
8. Research COVID-19 funeral restrictions and guidance for your area. Laws and safety recommendations for funerals during the COVID-19 pandemicare constantly being updated, so it's a good idea to have a firm understand of what you should and shouldn't do before starting to put together funeral plans. 9. Decide on funeral plans. If you decided to wo...
15. Determine whether you’ll need financial assistance. The average funeral costs about $9,000, which is an enormous burden on many families. While there are many ways to save money on a funeral, you may want to consider financial assistance. Crowdfunding campaigns for funerals are increasingly common, and you can set up a free funeral fundraiseron...
23. Order a headstone.Since headstones are rarely ready in time for a burial, you can save this task until after the funeral when you have some more time. You'll generally be able to order a headstone through the cemetery, but you'll have more options (and often lower prices) if you look online. 24. Order several copies of the death certificate.You...
This web page provides a comprehensive guide for handling funeral arrangements and personal affairs after someone dies. It covers topics such as legal pronouncement, organ donation, notification, body disposition, pets, employer, and more.
- Obtain Legal Documentation of Death. Legal documentation of death will be important for several things, like accessing bank and other financial accounts, starting the probate process (if necessary), filing a claim on life insurance and tending to other personal affairs.
- Notify Necessary Parties. Of course you’ll want to notify the appropriate people of the passing. It can be difficult, but try to let the most important people know first.
- Make Arrangements for the Body. Any final arrangements that need to be made will greatly depend on the loved one’s last wishes. In the best circumstances, you’ll know and can honor their vision easily because you’ll have a clear understanding of what he or she wanted.
- Make Arrangements for Children and Pets. If your loved one had any dependents (minor children or adults who cannot take care of themselves) or pets, you need to find their Estate Plans quickly to see what, if any, provisions were set up for Guardianship.
Learn what to do after someone dies. This guide has checklists for different situations, including if someone dies at home, at night, without a will, what to do with social security, if they died of natural causes or in their sleep.
Find out how to handle the legal, practical, and emotional aspects of losing a loved one. Learn about death certificates, autopsies, organ donation, funeral arrangements, and more.
Feb 22, 2023 · What to Do When Someone Dies: A Checklist. It’s easy to overlook an important task after a loved one passes away. Follow this checklist to help make a challenging time less confusing.
