How to Plan Hospice Funeral Arrangements
When the end comes, hospice workers are trained to deal with aspects of preparing a body for transport to a funeral parlor. But suppose there are no instructions---either because the deceased didn't prepare a will or due to an untimely death? That's when a hospice must step in and take care of those arrangements so the decedent receives dignified care.
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Things You'll Need
- Patient's file
- Will or postmortem instructions
- Funeral director
- Family contact numbers
- Staff assistance
Instructions
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Consult the patient's file for instructions on how to proceed. Communicate with family members to get additional instructions. Ascertain what specific religious arrangements are on file with regard to handling the body. Make final decisions in concert with hospice staff members if no family members are available to take part in the process.
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Follow the facility's protocols and policies for contacting one of the funeral homes with which the hospice has business relationships. Your hospice should avoid any hint of impropriety by using a variety of mortuaries; you do not want to become part of the scandals that have plagued hospices in which collusion to profit from the death of patients in hospice care have hit the media.
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Arrange to have the patient washed and placed in clean garments if the family or friends wish to view the body before it is taken either to the morgue for a police-mandated autopsy (if the death is suspicious) or the funeral home for cremation or preparation for burial.
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Replace rings, necklaces and other jewelry worn by the deceased patient after the body has been cleaned, as relatives will expect to see these items. Anticipate helping family members remove the jewelry as a condition of a will or death bequest.
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Query loved ones about religious rituals they wish performed on their loved one before the body is transferred to a mortuary, if no directions are on file at the hospice. Contact clergy to give the patient final rites if they are requested.
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Meet with the funeral director in charge of final arrangements. Provide him or her with information required to take possession of the body: time of death, date of birth, name of attending physician at the time of death, Social Security number, contact information for family members, cause of death, type of disposition of the body (burial or cremation) and other documents.
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Expect the funeral home to take care of registering the death with the state so a death certificate can be issued. Obtain a copy of the death certificate to close hospice files on the patient's stay.
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Plan a modest memorial ceremony for other residents unless this is against hospice policy. Ask patients if they wish to pay tribute, share memories, talk about their feelings and express their grief as a result of losing a member of the community.
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Settle up financial arrangements between family members, hospice administrators, the Social Security administration and other relevant parties. Follow all the hospice's corporate procedures required to close the file on the patient.
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