March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 39 F

Important Steps To Take After A Loved One Passes Away

When a loved one passes away, the grief can be all-consuming, and it’s difficult to gauge how you should proceed. Even though it’s a terrible and heartbreaking time for you and your family, it sadly requires that you take care of different matters right away. Losing a loved one is a heartbreaking experience, one that is made even more difficult when you’re the one responsible for handling things like funeral arrangements, various financial affairs, and so on. It can feel entirely overwhelming and hard to navigate. If this is something you are going through, then read on for more information regarding the basic steps you need to take after a loved one passes away.

Legal Death Announcement

While this feels especially macabre, it is perhaps the most important order of business to get out of the way. If your loved one died after a long illness in a hospital for example, then the doctor can help take care of this crucial step for you. Unfortunately, if they died in an accident, or at a location other than a hospital, you will need to take care of it yourself. The first thing to do is to call 911, and they will take things from there.

Notify Friends and Family

This is perhaps the toughest thing you’ll need to do. When someone dies, you should get in touch with their family members and friends right away. There’s no good way of doing this since the news will be difficult to communicate either way. You can set up a group text or email chain, but it is best to do it in person or over the phone when contacting those who were especially close to the deceased. For distant relatives who are listed in a will or some other legal arrangement, estate sale services can help by reaching out to them and letting them know that they will be hearing more about any financial settlements soon. People need to know what happened so that they can mourn the person that they so deeply loved and be informed of any legal matters they need to take care of regarding the estate straight away.

Decide Upon the Body’s Final Disposition

This is a decision that is incredibly difficult to make, especially if the deceased did not leave specific instructions. In general, you should decide upon the kind of burial you would like to give your loved one and the way in which you will need to take care of the body. If they have already prepaid for a burial plot in a cemetery, then follow up with said cemetery. However – and more often than not this is the case – if no plans have been made, then you will need to look into a few options.

First off, call a funeral home, and see how they can help you arrange for the burial or cremation. Make sure you go over the breakdown of costs carefully with the manager of the funeral home and see that you are comfortable with everything. The second option is to call a direct cremation service if you are already sure that this is the route you need to take. While a funeral home can help you with this, you can also take care of it yourself if you are not interested in the added services that they can provide.

Another option you can consider is making a full body donation to a lab or medical program. If your loved one liked to help different causes and was a big believer in science and medicine, then this might be a good way to honor their memory. It’s also an advisable way for some families to learn how to cope with the death of someone dear since it allows their loved ones to continue to help others long after they have lived. Furthermore, if money is an issue, then this is a viable economic alternative to a traditional funeral.

Notify the Employer

If your loved one was still working upon their death, then it is helpful for you to also notify their employer since they usually have no way of knowing what happened to their employee. This is also a good opportunity to talk about any owed payments or things like life insurance benefits that the employer may have been privy to.

These are some of the essentials you need to take care of after a loved one’s death, but you may have other responsibilities, like ordering a headstone, contacting the post office to seize all correspondence or change the contact information, making funeral arrangements,  preparing a guest list, and so on. However, it’s important to take things one step at a time during this difficult period. Start with the basics; other details will iron themselves out once you have a good support network by your side.

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