Mesa Funeral Home | Passing at Home

At our Mesa funeral home, we understand the reasons many choose to care for their elderly or ailing loved one at home. This includes respecting the wishes of the family member. While there are many caring and helpful facilities available, more and more people are just happier being in their own surroundings. Typically this is done under hospice care or with private nurses.

Opting to stay at home has many advantages. When under home care, patients have more privacy and family can be with them more regularly. However, with in-home hospice or nursing care comes the inevitable passing of the loved one and questions about what to do when that happens. Here are a few key steps you need to take:

If your loved one passes and is under hospice care, contact the primary hospice nurse right away. He or she can declare the death and help organize the transport of the body. If your loved one passes without hospice care, you will need to call 911. Your local police department will have standard operating procedures including calling paramedics who will start emergency resuscitation procedures. You can avoid this by showing the police a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) document if you have one for the individual who has passed. If you don’t, the body will more than likely be taken to the emergency room so a doctor can declare the date and time of the death. If you need to arrange for transportation of the body and no autopsy is needed, you can contact a mortuary or crematorium to help.

Losing a loved one at home can still incite many challenges and emotions. If you have any questions on the post-death process, please contact our Mesa funeral home at Mountain View. And if you or someone you know is ready to talk about end-of-life planning, contact our Mesa funeral home for a caring conversation. While it may difficult for caregivers to talk about, our professional and compassionate team will help make planning for the loss of a loved one a little less stressful.