Our Thoughts Are With You
Know that death is not an emergency, and you have time to gather yourself before taking action. Do not be made to feel rushed by any medical personnel or others involved.
If the death occurred at home and the deceased was on hospice, you need to report the death to the hospice organization so their doctor can declare time and cause of death. After, you have the right to delay transfer to a funeral home. In Washington State, the deceased must be refrigerated within 24 hours, but there are options for keeping at home for longer if desired.
If the death occurred at home and hospice was not involved, you legally must call 911 to report the death as soon as possible. A responder will be dispatched to determine if the medical examiner needs to be involved. Either the county medical examiner will initiate transport, or the responder will give you clearance to proceed with calling a funeral home. If transport to the medical examiner is required, follow their instructions for when you can proceed with funeral arrangements, as they will be conducting an investigation first.
If the death occurred in a hospital, nursing facility, or other institution, you will be asked for funeral home contact information. Generally, the facility will call the funeral home on your behalf to initiate transport when ready.
Please contact the contracted funeral home of your choice directly, not People's Memorial. The funeral home will be handling the arrangements and care of the deceased. (PMA is simply an education and advocacy resource, not a funeral home.) If you do not have a funeral home selected yet, please call 888-762-2762 to reach our answering service where a live person will answer 24/7 to help you choose one of our contracted funeral homes who provide zero sales pressure and vetted dignified service.
From there, the funeral home will contact next of kin to arrange transport of the deceased from place of death. Typically, you are given the day to rest and will be scheduled an appointment within a few days. Again, remember to go at your own pace, as this can be overwhelming. At the arrangement meeting, you will talk to a funeral director about what disposition method to proceed with as well as demographic information for the death certificate. If a service such as a memorial or funeral is desired, this will also be planned.
The funeral home and director will be your guide from this point forward.
