Several things need to be considered when a death occurs. The order in which things need to be done usually depends on whether the death occurred at a residence, a public place, a care center, or in a hospital.
Today a large number of people choose to be at home with Hospice or a Home Health Care provider assisting the family until the death occurs. Usually the family will notify Hospice or the provider and Hospice will notify the proper people in the correct order. They will contact the physician, the Medical Examiner's office, and they will call the funeral home. The Medical Examiner's office needs to be notified of all deaths that occur in a home. With Hospice or a Home Health Care Provider involved, a simple phone call is the only notification that the Medical Examiner needs. The Medical Examiner will not need to come to the residence to review any information.
No one likes to think about death, let alone plan for it. By pre-planning your funeral, you relieve your family of having to make important financial decisions during a period of great stress and grief-a time when people aren't thinking very clearly and may not know what to do because you never made your wishes known.
