Responding to a Death
What to Do When Someone Dies
If the person dies at a hospital or care center ~
The admissions staff of the hospital or care center should have asked what funeral home preference you have. They will usually be the ones to notify the funeral home.
If the person dies at home ~
If a death occurs at home and the deceased was under the constant care of a doctor (or was served by hospice), then you or the nurse can call the funeral home. We normally contact the County Coroner as a courtesy to inform them of a home death.
If the death was unexpected and the person dies somewhere other than a hospital, except the Emergency Room, then emergency response personnel are usually called, and they call the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction, who in turn contacts the County Coroner.
What happens next?
Funeral home personnel will respond to the place of death and transport the deceased to the funeral home. We make contact with the next-of-kin as soon as possible. We then inquire as to and immediate needs or wishes and we appoint a time to meet in person.
When we meet, we will discuss viewing, embalming, funeral services, cemetery needs, Veterans benefits, and any other needs the family has.
Families will normally bring in a photograph that they would like in the obituary, other photos that may be useful for the memorial folders, clothing that the loved one will wear, military discharge papers, cemetery deeds, life insurance policy paperwork or contracts or anything else they think is helpful.
The funeral director will ask if the family has discussed what they wish to do, or if there is any way we can clarify or otherwise discuss the available options.
The family or personal representative will need to assess the complexity of the estate, and if needed, enlist an attorney to be certain the proper steps are taken to resolve the estate. If there is a surviving spouse, in Idaho they will have rights of survivorship to any assets and/or liabilities. We do recommend checking with the Social Security Administration and any other retirement sources to be certain the proper procedures are followed to maintain benefits.
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