What To Do When Someone Dies At Home
Do you know who to call when someone dies at home or what to do if someone dies at home? The year 2021 has taken away 3.46 million people who lived only in the United States, among which 128,200 people have gone due to home-related deaths. Even in 2023, 61 million people worldwide have lost their precious lives. Despite all these figures, the main point is death, which cannot be denied. Whether it's death at home or somewhere else, like in a vehicle, there are some important things to do, which we are going to discuss in this article.
What To Do When Someone Dies At Home
When someone dies at home, whether due to suicide or a crime like murder and sadly no one is there around them and they are alone, that is known as an unattended death. Mostly, such deaths are unexpected, and no one is nearby to attend the person. As body decomposition is a natural process, it begins to decompose immediately after a person's death. What to do when someone dies an unattended death: The first thing you can do is to be aware of the potential health hazard due to the dead body in a residence.
Bodies that aren't discovered immediately start to decompose, especially in warm weather.
If a dead body remains in the home for a long time, the body fluid spillage spreads bloodborne pathogens and other harmful diseases. These dangerous diseases include HIV, MRSA, and Hepatitis B And C. If the dead body is not affected by a disease, it could still be a cause of disease carrier unknowingly. So, it is important to clean the scene in case of both homicide or natural death because healthy surroundings are of utmost importance.
After A Death Checklist
The checklist for death includes several important points that are as follows:
Do Not Touch The Dead Body:
Don’t touch the dead body, and avoid cleaning the scene by yourself. Sometimes, suicide and homicidal foul play are involved, which means there are some harsh physical reminders of the traumatic event. Moreover, serious health hazard risks are present depending on the situation. In some cases, biohazardous substances will be present, so keep yourself away from harmful diseases and don't approach such places until biohazardous removal companies clean the area properly.
Call Police:
What to do when a loved one dies checklist includes calling the police. They immediately take action, photograph the scene, collect the necessary evidence, and take care of the body properly.
Employer Notification:
If a deceased person is an employee in a company at the time of death, call their employer, give its death notification, and inquire about life insurance policies, due wages, and other essential benefits.
Additional needs:
There are some more important points to take into account in the checklist after death. These additional actions are as follows:
1. The first action is to make funeral arrangements.
2. Secondly, obtain a death certificate and make copies of it.
3. Arrange a person who can keep an eye on the house of the deceased, if applicable.
4. Close bank accounts for security reasons.
5. Contact social security organizations and other agencies to stop the benefits.
6. Find if there are any life insurance policies in the name of the deceased.
7. Ceasing all utility services and arranging for mail to be either stopped or forwarded.
Who to Call For Cleaning After The Death At Home
Whether the home has hoarded material or the body is in a decomposition state, the residents need a hoarding and decomposition cleanup service. Cleaning isn't easy but essential, and no one can do it in times of distress and emotional trauma, especially when it involves blood and other bodily fluids. At such times, professional home restoration and cleaning companies like 911 Bio & Trauma Cleaners can help you.
We are a team of professionals working with all the essential methods to make your home a liveable place again without causing any damage to you and your property. While cleaning, we use tools, equipment, and safety gear to properly clean your homes as we know that bodily fluids contain harmful pathogens that not only spread diseases in humans but also damage the environment and property in the form of fly infestation.
911 Bio & Trauma Cleaners is available 24/7/365 with its professionally trained and properly equipped team, which has been serving the nation for the past 15 years. We never compromise while cleaning and never be judgemental; instead, we are empathetic towards you.
Professional Services:
Many people don't know cleaning a trauma scene is not the responsibility of the police. Once the dust settles and the siren sound fades, there is a great mess left behind. Here, professional blood and crime scene cleanup service providers help clean up trauma.
What You Should Do When Someone Dies At Home Under Hospice Care
People dying in hospice at home need a different procedure than a death that occurs in a hospital. When someone dies at home, there are some immediate actions and decisions that should be followed:
Pronouncement of Death:
There should be a hospice caregiver for the deceased in the house. If there is no availability, then the dead body will need to be transported to the hospital, where they are officially pronounced to be dead. Call the police or paramedical services to home to deal with trauma; however, death time or pronounce death are not in their services. In order to pronounce death, there may be a need for a coroner.
Do Not Resuscitate:
If needed, keep a "Do Not Resuscitate" (DNR) document readily available.it is important to prevent any eleventh-hour efforts to extend the life of the dying individual.
Body Transportation:
The answer to the question of what to do when an elderly person dies at home is to arrange transportation to transport the dead body to the morgue or funeral home. For the elderly who are under doctor's care, there is no need for an autopsy. Funeral home management can now transport the deceased.
Physician Notification:
It is important to notify about the deceased, whether the dead takes physician help in the office or the physician has a house visit daily to check on the deceased. They should be notified so that they can notate the death and close the file.
Family Notification:
Let family, friends, and close ones know about the death of the deceased.
Pet Care:
If the person owns a pet and the pet needs care after the death of the owner, arrange a new caretaker or an owner for the ownership of the pet.