What to do

What to do when a death occurs.

The death of a loved one usually comes as a great shock.

Here at Alderson and Horan, we strive to make the funeral organisation as easy as possible so that relatives have less to worry about at this difficult time.

If the death occurs at home or in a rest home, the patient’s doctor must be the first to be notified. The doctor will sign the necessary certificate, which will allow us to bring the deceased into our care. Our staff are on call 24 hours a day, to take care of this duty.

If the death occurs in a hospital, a Doctor will be there to complete the relevant paperwork.
However, if a Doctor is unable to issue a certificate, the Coroner will be informed. We will then require his authorisation to move forward with the funeral arrangements.

We will make the funeral organisation as straightforward and stress-free as we can for you. This way, the family will have a peaceful time for the grieving process, and can focus on family matters.

Upon receiving your call, you can expect the following to happen:

• We will arrange a time to see the family and assign a Funeral Director who liaises with the family from start to finish on a one-to-one basis.
• The patient will be brought into our care or taken to the hospital to be received into the care of the Coroner.
• We will visit you at a pre-arranged appointment time to discuss your preferred arrangements. We can advise you on how to register the death and advise you on where to go if you need to discuss legal matters or DSS claims.
• The death is registered.

A death must be registered in the district in which it occurred, normally within five days, and must be done before the funeral can take place.
The Registrar will require the following: The certificate from the Doctor or Coroner and, if possible, the patient’s birth certificate, marriage certificate or medical card. The Registrar will then issue the documentation to authorise the burial or cremation. Copies of the entry can be purchased for legal and insurance purposes. Included in the documentation will be a green certificate – this should be passed to us as soon as possible.

• When the green certificate is brought to us, you might want to bring the patient’s clothing or any personal effects at the same time.
• The funeral will take place. We will manage the funeral on the family’s behalf, following their wishes as discussed.
• The week following the funeral, we will be in touch to offer any further assistance. This might include acknowledgements of thanks for the newspaper, collection of ashes and headstones.