Family Guide

Advice to keep a sad event from becoming even more painful

Preparing for a loss in the family

If you are acting as the caregiver for an ailing elderly loved one, the prospect of him or her dying while you are there is probable. At the same time, this experience can be quite stressful for caregivers, especially those who have never experienced death up close and personal before. Here are some things to remember if you are at home with an elderly loved one when he or she dies.

Know the Person's Wishes

For an elderly friend or relative

  • Know the location of the will, birth certificate, marriage and divorce certificates, Social Security information, life-insurance policies, financial documents, and keys to safe deposit box or home safe. Ask the person to create an inventory of their digital assets (such as email, social networks, and digital files) and include a plan for these assets in their will.

  • Ask about the person’s wishes concerning funeral arrangements, organ and brain donation, and burial.

  • Have the person complete an advance directive, including a living will, which specifies wanted and unwanted procedures. The person should also appoint a healthcare proxy to make medical decisions if he or she becomes incapacitated. Some who are more seriously ill might also consider a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment in addition to an advance directive.

  • Ask the person about end-of-life care, such as palliative and hospice care (which have key differences), and what their insurance will cover. Medicare, which covers most elderly Americans, will cover hospice care. Palliative care is growing in popularity, but anyone with six months or less to live may have well suited services through hospice.

  • Have a do-not-resuscitate order drawn up if the person desires. That tells healthcare professionals not to perform CPR if the person’s heart or breathing stops and restarting would not result in a meaningful life. You can prepare the document here: https://eforms.com/dnr/utah/

  • Make sure the person gives copies of the documents to his or her doctor and a few family members or friends. Take the documents to the hospital if the person is admitted.

What to do when a loved one dies

Immidiately

1- Call the deceased doctor or 911.

Get a legal pronouncement of death. If no doctor is present, you’ll need to contact someone to do this.

    • If the person dies at home under hospice care, call the hospice nurse, who can declare the death and help facilitate the transport of the body.

    • If the person dies at home unexpectedly without hospice care, call 911. Have in hand a do-not-resuscitate document if it exists. Without one, paramedics will generally start emergency procedures and, except where permitted to pronounce death, take the person to an emergency room for a doctor to make the declaration. Keep in mind that laws vary at the state level and if a person does not want to be resuscitated, “calling 911 is not necessary” according to the National Institute on Aging. “If the death is not unexpected, you might call the individual’s physician first,” says Lori Bishop, vice president of palliative and advanced care at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

    •  

2- Call Us on Eight Zero One 577-7901 OR Eight Zero One 712-0038

We at Khadeeja Cemetery will arrange for transportation of the body. If no autopsy is needed, the body can be picked up by a mortuary. We work with Goff Mortuary only. For some reason if you want to contact them directly, their contact number is 801-255-7151. While we will work on the grave digging and washing preparations, you should notify close family and friends and ask them to contact others.

10 Days after Death

Obtain the death certificate (usually from the Goff Mortuary). Get multiple copies, you’ll need them for financial institutions, government agencies, and insurers.