Page 18 - Senior Times South Central Michigan May 2022 - 29-05

Page 18 Senior Times - May 2022
WHEN A LOVED ONE DIES
By: Sherii Sherban, Publisher
When a loved one dies the tasks left behind can sometimes feel overwhelming. Most do not spend a lot of time planning for death primarily because they would rather be enjoying their time living.
and the members of any social groups or church the person belonged to. Ask the recip- ients to spread the word by notifying others connected to the deceased. You may want
to consider a post about the death on social media.
I will often write about the gift of plan- ning and developing legal documents and while I would strongly encourage that, there are other activities that need to take place during the most difficult of times. The tasks are complicated and often unknown until you are thrust into the middle of them. Sometimes it feels like stumbling forward and there is a true sense of hoping that you have done everything you should, but truly hope for understanding if something has been missed.
at home, especially if it was unexpected, you'll need to get a medical professional to do this. Call 9-1-1 soon after they pass and have them transported to an emergency room where they can be declared dead and moved to a funeral home.
An official declaration of death is the first step to getting a death certificate, a critical piece of paperwork. Without a declaration of death, you can't plan a funeral much less handle the deceased's legal affairs.
Telling friends and family is difficult at best but they need to be made aware of the loved ones passing as well as additional details for services. If your loved one has been ill for some time you may have already created an email list to keep family and friends updated. Send out a group text or mass email, or make individual phone calls to let people know their loved one has died. To track down all those who need to know, you may need to go through the deceased's email and phone contacts. Inform coworkers
If you are fortunate, you will know what your loved ones wishes were after death. Better yet, your loved one pre-planned and paid for their funeral and burial for you. If not, you may find more details by talking with other family members, searching through paperwork, or from a family attor- ney. Without this instruction the family will have to make decisions together including choosing a funeral home and deciding on specifics such as where the service will be held, whether to cremate, where the body
or ashes will be interred, and what type of tombstone or urn to order. It's a good idea
to research funeral prices to help you make informed decisions. Evaluating costs for the funeral and burial may play a role in the choices available. Several funeral homes can be found in the publication.
The following is a collection of sugges- tions from personal experience and a variety of organizations and should not be consid- ered legal advice. It may not be comprehen- sive for your specific concerns but it is a great starting point. Furthermore, AARP has taken the time to pull together a detailed list of action steps for those struggling through this transition. Many are condensed and included here. Visit https://www.aarp.org/ home-family/friends-family/info-2020/when- loved-one-dies-checklist.html for more.
Choose the funeral home if one is not already identified. They will often assist with many of the next steps including remov-
ing the body from the home or hospital, acquiring the death certificate(s), notifying Social Security, reaching out to the Veteran’s Administration, organ donation, and even writing the obituary and placing it in appro- priate publications.
Aside from the funeral home there are many others that will need to be notified when a loved one dies. It all begins with a legal pronouncement of death. If your loved one died in a hospital or nursing home where a doctor was present, the staff will handle this. If your family member died at home under hospice care, a hospice nurse can declare them dead. But if your relative died
If your loved one was a Veteran additional costs may be covered. Contact the Veteran’s Administration to find out more details. Oftentimes your funeral home representative
Providing services for Veterans and their families.
Federal Benefits and Programs Emergency Assistance Benefits County Burial Benefits
(269) 969-6735
190 East Michigan Avenue, Third Floor Battle Creek, Michigan calhouncountymi.gov/departments/veterans_affairs/index.php
CENTENARIANS WANTED!
Calhoun County Senior Services is looking for Calhoun County seniors age 99 years and older to join us for a Centenarian Celebration event.
Please Contact Calhoun County Senior Services at 269-781-0846 or by email at seniormillage@calhouncountymi.gov
Calhoun County Senior Services
315 W. Green St.
Marshall, MI 49068
269-781-0846 seniormillage@calhouncountymi.gov