Navigating the First Days after a loss: A Practical Guide for Families

When you have lost a loved one the first days following that loss are often the most difficult. Families will experience a wide range of emotions, and many may be left wondering what to do next. While dealing with the emotional side of a loss can be difficult there are also practical matters to consider and these first days can often feel the most demanding when you need to make choices surrounding the death. In today’s blog we will be providing a practical guide to navigating the first days following a loss. Remember that not all of these steps need to be handled at once and can generally be paced out over the first week following a loss.

Contact a Funeral Home

Following the pronouncement of death one of the first things families should do is contact a funeral home. Staff at a funeral home will be able to help you navigate the initial difficulties and decisions that need to be made following a death. This assistance will involve things like arranging for the transportation of your loved ones remains from their place of death to a sheltering facility, assistance with the documentation required after a death, and arranging for the final disposition of your loved ones remains.

Notify Immediate Family Members

Immediate family members will want to be made aware of the death of their loved one as soon as possible, once you have made arrangements with the funeral home it is a good time to start contacting them. Focus on people like spouses, parents, children and siblings, you can notify others later.

Find the Will

If your loved one had a will you will want to locate that and contact the named executor of the estate. If no will is present, you may need to employ the services of an estate attorney to acquire the necessary legal powers to make decisions in the name of the deceased. This is important as it may affect what decisions can be made about the final disposition of your loved ones remains and the planning of the funeral.

Plan the Funeral/Memorial Service

If you are planning a traditional funeral or a memorial service that involves the remains of the deceased, this is something that you will need to take care of sooner rather than later. Don’t be afraid to ask for help with this step, if you are making use of a full-service funeral home you will often have access to a funeral director who can assist you.

Register the Death and Order Death Certificates

If you are making use of a funeral home, they will often handle registering the death for you, if not you will need to register the death yourself. This usually involves contacting the appropriate government agency, for example in BC you will need to contact the Vital Statistics Agency. You will often need to submit death certificates with important documents surrounding the death, so it is important to order some. If you are unsure of how many to order, start with 1, your funeral home can always print more.

Notify Your Loved One’s Employer

You will need to discuss things like final paychecks, retirement benefits and if they had any life insurance or death benefits through their employer.

We hope that our guide is useful in illuminating what practical steps need to be taken following a loss. If you have any questions about end-of-life services, please feel free to contact us.

Maple Ridge Funeral Chapel and Crematorium, based in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, has been providing compassionate funeral services on the Lower Mainland for over 60 years. We have deep roots in the community and take great pride in caring ethics and exemplary service. If you have any questions about this article or would like to talk to us about funeral services, please call us at (604) 463-8121.