When your loved one passes away, you will be left with many legal and personal tasks to fulfill. This will add up to the stress caused by their loss. It is far from the perfect situation, but it has to be handled correctly. There are decisions to be made, services to be canceled, events to be arranged, and other affairs to be taken care of. Here are some things you will have to do after your loved one passes away unexpectedly.

Get Legal Pronouncement of Death

The very first thing you need to do after your loved one dies, especially if it happens somewhere without any doctors present, is to call the emergency services and get a legal pronouncement of death. If they have been under hospice care, a hospice nurse can also do it legally. You will need an official pronouncement to be able to acquire a death certificate. It is a crucial document in further proceedings.

Arrange the Burial and Memorial Service

The next thing you have to do is to arrange for transportation of the body. After that, you have to arrange a funeral or memorial service.

Depending on the wishes of your loved one or the situation regarding the finances and other unpredictable circumstances, you can choose to forego the traditional funeral and choose cremation. As can be seen on greenmeadowmemorials.com/, cremation is quickly becoming more popular than regular burials. Many people find having their loved one’s remains preserved nearby comforting. If you choose to scatter their ashes, make sure to check the rules and regulations of the desired area.

Find Out If They Had Any Special Wishes

Talk to the people closest to them and try to find out if they had any special wishes for the funeral arrangements, cremation or burial, and organ donation. Also, try to find out if the person had an attorney and if they have drawn a legal will. That way, their personal assets, and property will be split among their friends and family according to their wishes.

Get a Death Certificate

A death certificate is the most important document. Make at least 10 certified copies of their death certificate. You will need them to close their personal bank accounts, deal with the potential life insurance claims, and to register their death with the government. You will get the certificate from the funeral home, and they can also get you the copies. It would be a good idea to meet with their attorneys and consult them on how and where you need to use them.

Notify Friends and Family

This is in no way an easy feat, but it still needs to be done. The most sensible way to do it would be to make personal phone calls to the deceased person’s loved ones and break the news gently. Go through contact lists and email accounts of the person who passed away to track them down. You need to notify only a few of the closest people and ask them to tell the others.

Notify Their Employer

If the person who passed away had a job or was volunteering, notify their employer of the death. They will notify the rest of their coworkers. They may also be able to help you claim insurance policies if the person had group insurance as a part of workers’ benefits. Also, if the person passed away unexpectedly, they may be owed a paycheck or two. That money would be useful for arranging the funeral and other related expenses.

Take Care Of Their Home

You also need to deal with their personal matters. Go through their house, collect their mail, cancel bills and subscriptions, and find a way to take care of their pets. You may also consider contacting the post office and ask them to forward the mail to you to avoid it piling up.

Close Credit Card Accounts and Terminate Insurance Policies

Unfortunately, if you don’t close out the credit card accounts, terminate the insurance policies, and notify the government organizations of their death, they may be susceptible to identity theft. Do this as soon as possible. If you wait, it may cause the debts to pile up, and you will end up with many legal complications that could have been avoided easily.

Take Care of Your Mental Health

Often, in the midst of all the tasks that need to be done, people forget to take care of themselves and deal with grief properly. Take your time and contact the professional if you find it too hard to bear.

Losing a loved one is one of the hardest things we can face in our lives. Their loss leaves an empty space in our lives that can’t be easily filled. After you do all the necessary tasks, take all the time you need to heal. Remember, material matters can be easily fixed, but your peace of mind can’t.