When a death occurs many people are unsure of who to contact and when they should contact them. Most deaths take place in one of three places:
at home, in a nursing home, or in a hospital. Procedures involved differ slightly, and each is explained below.
At Home
Many terminally ill patients are opting to die at home. Providing the family are able to nurse and support their loved one, this can be a time of great love and commitment to go through together.
Contact your family doctor and inform them of your loved ones request, and ask them who to call at the time of death. Some doctors will give you their private home number, and request that you phone them wheather they are on call or not. Others will inform the doctor on call of the impending death, so that their doctor is aware of the situation.
Our staff at Gladstone Valley Funerals can be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.
In a Nursing Home
In some nursing homes advanced notification must be given, upon admission; as to who the preferred funeral director is. Whilst this is not yet the case in Gladstone, Family will still be asked to consider this question.
Advice can be given to the sister-in-charge at the Nursing Home that Gladstone Valley Funerals is your preferred funeral home.
In a Hospital
In Australia today, most people die in a hospital, or a nursing home, in this instance you will be dealing with the sister or staff nurse in charge. They will handle the medical necessities and formalities and will make the necessary arrangements for the doctor to issue the death certificate.
Sudden Death
If the death is sudden or unexpected; your doctor has a duty to inform the police. The police will report it to the coroner, who may call for a post-mortem, and may arrange for an inquest. An inquest is simply an enquiry to find out the cause of death. Don’t be alarmed by this; In most cases, it is purely a formality.
The Government contracted funeral director will be notified by the police to transport the deceased to the nearest Mortuary. In Gladstone, this is situated at the Gladstone Hospital.
If the coroner deems it necessary for a post-mortem to be performed; this will be done at in Brisbane, which is where all post-mortems in the Central Queensland area are performed. The Government contracted funeral director will be notified by the coroner’s office to transport the deceased to Brisbane, and return the deceased to Gladstone.
The Government contracted funeral director is paid for this service. Family and friends of the deceased need feel under no obligation whatsoever to use them as their preferred funeral director to perform the funeral service.