No one wants to deal with the death of a loved one, still, it’s inevitable, and often unpredictable. Depending on where the death occurs and under what circumstances, there are different options available.
When someone dies at home while under a doctor’s care and it is an anticipated death, there is no need to call 911. Such a call will result in a response from fire, police and ambulance personnel. It is necessary to alert the police if someone dies unexpectedly at home.
Who are you going to call when someone who has chosen to die at home does pass away? Call the attending physician, who will need to sign a medical certificate of death and at that point a licensed funeral home could take over. According to Martin McManus of Affordable Burial and Cremation, the body can remain in the home for up to 72 hours, depending on the circumstances.
A limited viewing could take place, with close family and friends saying their final goodbyes before the body is cremated or buried. A larger memorial service or life celebration could be arranged later and in the case of cremation, the remains could be present. If the body is embalmed, the viewing can be public and is not restricted to the 72-hour window that forgoing the embalming allows.
According to McManus, there is no pressure to come up with concrete details of final arrangements when initial contact with the funeral home is made at the time of death. There are so many choices and decisions to be made including the option of a burial where the deceased can be viewed at the grave site, immediate burial or cremation or full requiem mass.
“The idea is that you could have a full service prior to the burial or the individual could be buried with a service in their honour at any time,” explains McManus.
Affordable Burial and Cremation offers its services 24/7 and McManus and his business partner, Dean Hallet are available to provide bereaved families with advice and help with any problems they encounter, even after the arrangements have been completed.
To find out more about the range of services and economical options provided by Affordable Burial and Cremation, visit the website at
www.affordableburialandcremation.ca.
