 |
 |
|
|
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 and the deceased has been under hospice care, the hospice organization, if not present should be contacted first. Once present, a nurse will complete a pronouncement of death and notify our funeral home of the passing. Once the family is ready for our arrival, our staff will come to the residence, remove the body, and bring your loved one into our care.
If the death is unexpected, the police should first be notified. They will in turn dispatch an officer and contact the Massachusetts State Medical Examiner who will then decide the level of investigation necessary to determine the cause of death. If the office accepts to take custody of the body for examination, they will arrange to have the body transferred to an examination center. Please suggest at this time to have the Philbin-Comeau Funeral Home make this transfer as it our wishes to begin to serve your family at our first opportunity. Otherwise, law enforcement would contact a funeral home contracted with the state, which may take hours to arrive at this emotionally difficult time. By calling us immediately we may begin assisting with arrangements and handling the proper procedures required to have your loved one examined, released, and returned home in a timely manner.
|
| 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, we strongly recommend contacting us first to assist in selecting a reputable funeral home in the area of death to aid in completing the necessary arrangements in securing the safety in transporting your loved one back home.
When calling the Philbin-Comeau Funeral Home, we shall contact a firm that we trust to ensure that your loved one will be handled with the dignity and respect we provide to our families. We shall also serve as your agent in communication to this firm to expedite the arrival of your loved one back home.
If the death was sudden and unexplained, local police authorities will make the necessary call to the local coroner to attend to the place of death to investigate possible cause.
Again we urge you to contact us immediately to begin assisting your family with the aid of a reputable firm we may contact in the area the death has occurred.
|
| A death of a loved one has died at the hospital, where do we turn?
| Whether or not you are present when the death occurs a health care professional will contact you and ask a few questions. Two of the questions you may be asked, you should be prepared for.
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 the choice. An autopsy is the thorough examination of the deceased body, to understand and determine the cause of death or any factors that may have contributed towards the cause of death. The information resulting from an autopsy can help researchers in developing cures and medications to assist in the preventions of such diseases. Autopsies are generally performed quickly, as to not interfere with the funeral process, however you may experience some short 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.
|
| A loved one has died in the nursing home, what should we do first?
| | Immediately following death, please contact our firm to arrange for the transfer of deceased into our care. Once returning from the place of death, we will contact the legal next of kin to proceed with arrangements, and it is at this time we will ask permission to embalm. We recommend that your family discuss this prior to death to allow us the opportunity to thoroughly cleanse the body and prepare for viewing purposes. |
|
 |
|
|
