Arranging For A Cremation After An Unexpected Death

Illnesses, heart attacks, and accidents can cause unexpected loss. There may be a time when you face this kind of loss and face having to handle end of life arrangements for that person. Though your loved one may have had some form of burial or life insurance policy, they may not have made arrangements for a funeral or cremation. Here is what you need to know about arranging for a cremation after an unexpected death in your family.

Transport of Your Loved One

The first step is to contact the funeral home of your choice, but you need to know why. You will not be contacting them to make all the arrangements in one phone call. Your initial phone call will be to inform them that your loved one has passed and that you need to make cremation arrangements. They will make notes and possibly discuss general fees. Once you have agreed to these fees and gone in to sign the paperwork, they will send someone to transport your loved one. In some cases, they may send a representative to your location to handle arrangements as well as transport and paperwork.

Full Arrangement Consultation

The consultation will happen after your loved one is transported to the crematorium or funeral home. During the consultation, you will discuss what options you want for the cremation. This includes if you want direct cremation, a burial of the cremains, and if you want some kind of memorial service. You also will discuss how the services will be paid for. This may come from a burial policy or an insurance policy. If there is no insurance policy that covers the cremation process, you can discuss payments or other financing options with the funeral director. 

Medical Certification and Paperwork

There is some paperwork you will need to obtain and provide. For example, you will need a medical certification of death. This death certificate will be kept on file with the funeral home. This is necessary to show the cause of death. There are some cases where the body may not be allowed cremation. For example, murder cases where a full autopsy has not been performed will prohibit and immediate cremation. The medical certification and death certificate ensures that your loved one did meet the standards for cremation. 

Most arrangements can be made through your funeral home or funeral director. They can discuss with you the cremation options and, if they don't have a crematorium on-site, they can refer you to the crematorium they use. In most cases, they will handle everything for you from start to finish. They will even allow you to pick up the cremains at the funeral home if you plan on having the remains scattered rather than buried. Contact someone like Fletcher Funeral Home PA for assistance.