If you’re present when a family member passes away, what should you do and who should you call? Knowing who to contact in such a situation makes sense. One of the calls you’ll definitely want to make is to a provider of funeral services and cremation services in Columbia, MD.

Here’s a look at some of the organizations and people who you need to reach out to immediately.

Law Enforcement Organizations

Among the very first things you’ll have to do when a relative has died is to contact the appropriate authorities, like your area police officials. This is especially the case if the person died in your presence with no other people in attendance. Police officials are taught to help in these kinds of situations and can offer guidance as to who to reach out to next.

Doctor

Depending on the circumstances surrounding the death, you will want to contact a physician, a coroner, or a medical examiner. Usually, police officials who arrive on the scene will be the ones who end up calling a medical examiner or a coroner. These officials have the authority to pronounce the time of death. If your loved one passes away in a nursing home or in an assisting living center, the staff working there will handle these matters.

Family

It’s also important that you call close family members. You should also, of course, notify the estate executor since they will have the legal authority to make certain decisions. When contacting close family members, you can delegate to some of them the task of contacting even more people so that news of the passing is disseminated.

Funeral Home

You’ll also want to get started on preparing a funeral service or a cremation service. And doing this means reaching out to the funeral director at a funeral home. When you call a reputable funeral home, you’ll get all the help you need. The funeral director will provide you with all the information you require to make informed choices. Ultimately, you’ll be able to plan a final send-off that honors their memory. It will also provide comfort to you and the rest of your family. One of the things the funeral director will do is arrange to pick up the body and to transport it to the funeral home. They will do everything in their power to make the process as straightforward as possible.

When you need a reputable funeral home offering cremation services for Columbia, MD families, get in touch. We’re here to help you with planning for a deceased relative or with preplanning for yourself. As well, we’re a family owned and operated funeral home that has been serving the community since the early 1900s. So you can count on our long track record of helping people who need the help of a professional death care services provider. You can reach us by phone or visit our office to speak to someone in person.