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FAMILY EMERGENCY
Nothing adequately
prepares us for the initial shock of losing a loved one to death. Feelings of
panic and helplessness may be overwhelming, but it's important to know you are
not alone. It is important to reach out to close relatives, friends, and
professionals for the help, support, and comfort you need. Notifying Family
& Friends is always an important consideration in the initial tasks to be
completed. Call immediate family members first, Parents, Children, Brothers,
Sisters and Grandparents of the deceased. Again, do not worry about waking
others. Grief researchers say those close to the deceased feel left out if they
aren't told about death immediately. Rely on others to assist you in notifying
everyone: do not attempt to do this yourself. It not only helps others through
the grieving process to have some responsibility, but also allows you to carry
on with other tasks. Although it may be difficult, telling others of a
death it is therapeutic. Saying aloud that a loved one has died, the death is
confirmed in your mind - an important step in the grief process.
So much to be done in what seems like so little time. The
emotional impact of death understandably makes it difficult to focus on the
details that go into organizing a funeral. Also by clicking on the
resource centre on the home page, you open a wealth of information and guidance
to assist you through all of your needs.
| When death occurs at home, what should we do? | - If the death has been expected, the physician caring for the deceased will be able to pronounce the death. Unless instructed differently by the physician, this is the person you should first contact. When you are ready, you may then call the funeral home to transfer the remains and make an apointment for arrangements.
- If the death is unexpected, the police should be notified. They will in turn dispatch an officer and contact a local coroner or medical examiner who will then decide the level of investigation necessary to determine the cause of death. They will arrange to have the remains transferred to the hospital if an autopsy is required (at their cost). You may suggest to the coroner the name of the funeral home of your choice to make this transfer or, they will use their own personnel. You are under no obligation to use the funeral home the Coroner's Office selects.
Once the examination has been completed you have the right to choose the funeral home you wish to make arrangements with. If it is determined no further inquiry is necessary, you may then call the funeral home of your choice to transfer the remains make funeral arrangements.
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| If we are on vacation, and a death occurs what should we do?
| If a death was to occur away from the home, i.e. during a vacation or a business trip, call Community Alternative at 705-742-1875. You may call collect if you wish. Our trianed staff will take care of making the necessary contact with a reputable firm in the area that the death occurred.
This action will avoid any possibility of becoming involved with a funeral home outside of your residential area that may care little about matters because they feel they will not ever deal with the family again. When calling Community Alternative, we can act as your agent, monitoring and avoiding any possibility of excessive, unnecessary or double-billing possibilities.
Contact the local police department and they will dispatch an officer to your location immediately so you will not be alone.
If the death was sudden and unexplained, the local police authorities will make the necessary call to the local coroner to attend to the place of death.
If you have not called your funeral director, you will have to consider doing so as the body will have to be removed by them or an authorized agent. Regrettably, there have been circumstances where police and or coroners have called a funeral home of their choice.
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| A loved one has died at the hospital, where do we turn?
| When a death occurs at a hospital, a health care professional will contact you and ask a few questions. Two of the questions you may be asked are:
1. Which funeral service provider will you be releasing the body to, for transfer from the hospital?
2. Would you like an autopsy performed?
Unless the deceased has died unexpectedly, you will have a choice. An autopsy is a surgical examination of the deceased in order to understand and determine the cause of death or any factors that may have contributed towards the death. The information obtained from an autopsy can help researchers in developing cures and medications to assist in the preventions of such diseases. Autopsies are generally performed soon after the death has occured, so as to not interfere with the funeral process, however you may experience some delays and should check with the health care professional as to when you can expect the autopsy to be completed if a delay could be of concern to you.
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| A loved one has died in the nursing home, what should we do first?
| Most Nursing Homes and Retirement Homes now require residents to have funeral arrangements in place before being accepted into the facility. At Community Alternative, we offer a full range of Pre-Planning options to satisfy this requirement.
If funeral arrangements are not on file at the Nursing Home, the facility will require the family to contact a Funeral Service Provider to transfer the remains. When contacted, Community Alternative will transfer remains professionally, promptly, and discretly. |
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