It can be difficult to know what to do after a loved one has died. There’s a lot to organize, there’s a lot to get right, but there’s also a lot of feelings in the way which can make it harder than anything else. You might be responsible for handling Funeral arrangements and personal affairs, and this is an experience that is often overwhelming. Nobody knows exactly how to do anything after a loved one dies, which is why we need to take as much advice as possible where we can get it. In this article, we’re going to go down a checklist of things that you should be doing in the event that somebody close to you has died and you are left with the responsibility of what comes next.

1. Get the death legally pronounced.
   If your loved one dies in a hospital, a doctor can do this for you. However, if they passed away at home or in another location, you’ll need to know who to call. Call 911 if the person that you love has died somewhere that is not a hospital under the care of a doctor already. You need to make sure that the death has been pronounced and the right time has been put forward.
2. Speak to a lawyer.
   This one isn’t a must, so really it’s an option on this checklist, but if you believe that there has been a problem that has led to the death of your loved one, then a wrongful death attorney can help. You might need legal advice to know what to do in the event that something went wrong post surgery, or if someone went into hospital with something simple but ended up dying while they were there. It can help to know that you have legal on your side.
3. Arrange organ donation.
   If your loved one hasn’t notified anybody as to whether or not they want their organs donated, check their driver’s license or their advanced directive to see if they were an organ donor. Organ donation is time sensitive, so you need to let somebody know immediately as to whether or not their organs can be donated. In some cases, organ donation is not possible, but at least the option is there.
4. Notify friends and family.
   Every family is different and there is no real right way to do this one. For some families it’s important to share the news in person, but for others, an e-mail or a text message may be OK. Split this task up between several family members because you’re going to be so busy with all of the post-death arrangements that notifying everybody may not be the top thing on your list. 
5. Arrange transportation.
   Regardless of where your loved one has died, their body will need to be transported according to their wishes. If they are going to be in a Chapel of rest, then their body needs to be moved there and you need to arrange that. Check to see if your loved one expressed any wishes about final disposition or made any prepayments or Funeral Home arrangements. It would be ideal if there was a document with other medical documents to dictate what they wanted in the event of their death. If there have been no wishes or plans stated, then there are options. These include:
   • Call a Funeral Home yourself.
     They’ll be able to help you to arrange a cremation or burial for your loved one.  Always check reviews and prices for a different range of funeral homes before you make a decision though, because that can vary massively.
   • Speak to a cremation company.
     If you’re aware that your loved one wanted to be cremated then it’s important that you speak to a company that specializes in this. You can arrange a cremation through a Funeral Home but there are also cremation specific companies that will work with you.
   • Call a body donation organization.
     If your loved one is already registered to be a body donor, check for the paperwork. There are many programs that accept donations from next of kin as well, so you could always donate their body to science.