What to Do When a Loved One Dies

Death is a sad but inevitable part of life. Sometimes we have time to prepare, but often it happens suddenly. But no matter how prepared we might be, the actual experience can leave us confused about how to proceed. Here are a few suggestions we can provide to help you cope with this difficult time.

Who to Call?

If you are at a hospital or hospice, the best and easiest thing to do is to get the attention of a nurse. If you are elsewhere, however, you should call 911 immediately. If you have a Do Not Resuscitate document, now is the time to get it.  If the person is an organ donor, make sure to let the doctors or paramedics know so that your loved one can help save lives as they desired in life. At this point it’s important to contact close family members who need to know what has happened.

Handle the Small Details

While it might seem insignificant, it’s important to secure your loved one’s possessions including any valuables, vehicles and property. If they had any pets, it’s important to find someone to take care of them until long-term arrangements for their care can be made. In these situations, many people are willing to step up to help.

Contact a Funeral Service

Now that immediate arrangements are made for the body and the family is contacted, it’s important to find a funeral service to help you handle all the important details of how to handle any ceremonies, cremation, or burial. This is an opportunity to take the burden of handling the death from your shoulders and hand them over to an expert. If you loved one has a prepaid funeral plan, accidental death insurance, or you need help with funeral finance, the funeral service expert will make the necessary arrangements so that you don’t have to worry about money during this difficult time. Be sure to let the funeral director know of any wishes your loved one had for their own funeral so that they can be carried out.

Decide on a Memorial

With the help of your funeral expert, you can decide on how to handle the remains, how to choose a memorial service, purchasing a coffin, urn or headstone and other details.  If your loved one is a veteran, our funeral services in NJ and NY include helping you make the special arrangements necessary for a military funeral. We can also work with you ensure that any necessary religious obligations are met.

Bergen Funeral Service has been helping grieving families and individuals handle the loss of loved ones with compassion and dignity for decades.

To speak with a funeral professional at our funeral home in NJ, Brooklyn or Queens at any time, day or night, call Bergen Funeral Service at (800)262-7901.