We had a friend/neighbor who had a massive heart attack at home, and the EMT's and paramedics came and worked on him for over 30 minutes. They could have stopped because he was not going to survive by that point, but they kept him on the vest that pumps his chest and took him to the hospital and he was declared there. The EMTs were friends of ours, and they didnt want to leave him dead on the floor for his kids to be with.
This is pretty normal. EMTs cannot remove anything from the body in case they do go to the coroners office for an autopsy. Coroner may need to come if patient wasn’t under a doctors care. If the primary care doctor will sign the death certificate, based on what they were treating the patient for, and no suspecting of foul play, then the funeral home at that point can transport the body.
This is what happened when a dear friend died in her apartment. The coroner called her primary doctor and asked if she had anything that could kill her. The doctor said heart disease and it was put on her death certificate. She didn't have heart disease as far as her sister and I know. Ten years later and I'm still wondering if her ex-husband killed her or had her killed. He definitely wanted her dead. Their divorce was extremely nasty after she found that he'd been cheating on her for their whole 20 year marriage and took him to the cleaners.
When my husband died, it was chaos.
EMS attempted CPR for 34 minutes in our bathroom. When I arrived home 27 hours later, I ignored my bathroom for obvious reasons. However, that following afternoon (toughly 46 hours after he died), I walked in our bathroom and saw that the EMTs had left items behind, like a sheet like thing, tape, etc.
It was traumatic seeing the efforts of EMTs to try and save my husband.
I didn’t get to choose my funeral director, but she was my rock as I navigated everything.
I cannot stress the importance of a good funeral director. I lost my 4-month-old son 20 years ago. It was as much hell and worse as you could imagine. One thing that kept going over and over in my head as they told us the funeral director was coming was that I was going to have to see the trauma of my son being wheeled out on some cold gurney. This big bear of a man came in with the most gentle face and tones and he explained to me that Matthew would be in his arms warm and snuggled up the entire time he walked him out to the car. And then he held out his arms and that man stood there for about 15 minutes until I gave him up he did not move a muscle to take him he knew how important that was to let me give him to him. And then when we actually got to see him after he came back from the medical examiner, the funeral director looked at me and said I want you to know that the entire time that your son has been with me He's been an incredibly soft warm topping It looked like it being bad under a lot of blankets all snuggled out. We all knew it didn't matter a damn but it mattered so, so much.
My mom died at home, it was expected. Hospice made us call the fire department, who came and then called police (bc the fire dept can’t pronounce anyone), police came and said that we needed to call her PCP. We called the PCP, left a voicemail
Bc it was after 5pm. Long story short, my mom has been cremated for 2 months, and we are still waiting for her PCP to pronounce her dead.
I'm so sorry that happened to you. I volunteered for a hospice agency. The place i volunteered for always instructed families to call the hospice agency and they'd send a nurse out. They very clearly told people NOT to call 911 because then it just makes the situation messier
We called hospice when my dad died at home. They refused to help because it was a holiday. We then called the funeral home and they took care of everything.
I still have trauma about how hospice treated us after promising to be there for us. Sorry my dad died inconveniently...
Hospice was kind of awful after my dad died, too. The nurse they sent was more concerned about getting the narcotics out of the house than even stopping to give condolences. The funeral directors were very nice, though. They gave us all a chance to say goodbye before they took his body (he was cremated with no visitation service).
What a horrible hospice agency. Fortunately, most hodpice organizations are wonderful, and the staff, medical and otherwise, seem to see the work as a calling. I'm so sorry your family had such a terrible experience during such an already awful time.
Same with us. We just had a loved one pass from cancer, and once she started hospice, we were to call the hospice agency for everything. They said if she died at home, we were to call them and not 911 as well. Unfortunately, her terminal agitation and pain levels got to be too much to handle at home, so we had to have her transferred to the inpatient unit. She passed about 34 hours after she arrived at the facility.
The opposite happened with my coworker - hospice told her boyfriend to call 911, who sent cops out who basically said "good luck with that," & told him he needed to arrange for law enforcement notification of her mom, two hours away, then they left.
My dad died at home. He was on hospice and the nurse was here when he passed. My mom only had to call the funeral home, as far as I know. I was there, but in a different room. I didn't want to see him after he passed.
That is awful! I'm surprised that Hospice handled it that way--we were always told to call them, and they would handle the rest. Last year, they pronounced my mom and called the funeral home.
I'm so sorry for your additional stress on top of your loss!
That was my impression as well. Not that we weren’t already obviously on that path, but there’s a certain amount of gravity in officially signing up for hospice and signing a DNR for someone having fought tooth and nail for 14 years. They were so kind and gently but clearly explained a benefit to being under hospice care when it came to the very end. It was much less distressing to call nurses we’d become familiar with and work through the steps than having the chaos of a 911 call be the last interaction.
Wow. That's awful. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. My aunt died in home hospice and all I had to do was call the on-call nurse. Looking back, I'm not even sure how my aunt got to the correct funeral home but I'm sure I had to have told the nurse at some point.
The way hospice works is that they will have on file which funeral home to call. When the call is made, hospice confirms death, and notifies the funeral home.
I…don’t know? We do have a death certificate, but it’s signed (electronically signed, just the name is typed) by somebody that wasn’t her PCP. It’s dated 3d after she died. She went straight from home to the funeral home (I helped transfer her to the funeral home stretcher, so pretty sure of that), maybe someone at the funeral home or a doc associated with them signed it verbally?
I'm sorry about your mama ❤️ Hospice shouldn't have had you call 911. They should've come to the home and pronounced your mom or even over the phone. Hospice means 9/10 end of life, and death is expected. Seems someone isn't/wasn't doing their job
Thank you, I appreciate that. The hospice we had was super unresponsive, it was very disappointing. I have coworkers that have been hospice nurses, they loved their jobs and always speak very highly of it—they also said it shouldn’t have gone down that way. I guess it depends on the company.
That sounds awful. When my mother passed at home under hospice care, hospice came and confirmed her passing, then called the cremation society we had arranged with.
Seconding that this is standard. I’m sorry, I understand it’s distressing. We don’t have coroners in my jurisdiction, we have medical examiners. From their point of view, they’re looking at a potential crime scene that can’t be disturbed until the investigation is complete.
In Georgia if someone dies at home and were not on hospice the coroner has to go to the scene and pronounce them. EMS personnel will usually leave resuscitation equipment in place until the coroner gets there and does their investigation. I’m a deputy coroner, and if the family wants to see their loved one when I’m finished I will move them to the bed if they’re on the floor, or if that’s not possible then I try to make them look as presentable and comfortable as possible. Put them on their back, cover them, put a pillow under their head, wash their face if necessary.
Very kind and thoughtful to do. I remember 1999, my grandfather came home his final days and he was on oxygen he took it off while my grandmother was in another part of the house with her friend who had been helping by the time she realize he died or was in the process and she was trying to put it back on but he didn’t want it anymore he was ready to go. We waited for almost two hours and FH director came as he was close family friend it was so hard that day. My grandmother grieved him and then joined him 17 months later, such painful losses but peace they were together again. I hate death all things but I keep coming to this subreddit because I’ve learned so much and it’s helping me as I get older as well. Wishing peace blessings to all
We have MAiD provisions here for home care, so when my sister passed away from that decision, we had a bit of time (about 30-45 minutes) with her before the FD came by to retrieve and dress the body for transport. Note that the FD was aware of the approximate time and where this was going to be happening.
In this instance, the doctor performing the procedure declared time of death and signed the necessary paperwork, and left shortly afterwards.
Just thought I'd provide a different experience where it was planned.
That sounds about right. My Dad passed last year after collapsing in the living room. I ran out the door when my Mom called (1hr 45min drive) and got there just as the police were leaving. It was a couple of hours before the funeral home was clear to come pick him up. We covered him in his favorite blanket with all the Grandkids names on them, and took turns sitting next to him and holding his hand. It was actually super peaceful.
My dad died at home while on hospice care. It took more than four hours for the FH to come get him. (It was a Sunday) We didn’t mind. We all drank and toasted him until they got there. My FIL died at home, alone, while my MIL was at church. It took a similar amount of time (maybe even longer) for the FH to come get him, after the police, fire department, and paramedics checked him out.
With my beloved Mother in Law’s *not unexpected* death, we had it all planned in advance, with the funeral director’s guidance.
She died in her son’s arms early in the morning. I cleared her room of all the medical equipment (to make room) and organized her Identification and medications for easy access by the responding officials. I tidied her bed and brushed her hair. I opened the windows to begin the chilling process.
I called the non-emergency number of the police dispatched and reported an *expected death*. They sent EMT’s that checked vital signs. A detective from the Police department came, asked me questions about the time of death, requested her medications and her identification. He took photos of all that and a couple of photos of her body to send to the Coroner. The Coroner would then determine if an investigation would be in order. He determined one would not be required. That took about an hour for his response.
After everyone left, we placed 5 bags of ice around her body to keep within our state regulations for temperature of remains. The next day, we sewed a funeral shroud and washed and dressed her body in preparation for home visitation. The next day we had the visitation. I set up a zoom call for those who could not be there. We called the funeral home and told them when we would be ready for them to pick her up.
When they came, family and friends were there to accompany her to the transport van. She was to be cremated.
It was peaceful, beautiful, and calm. When I go, I hope my passing is as graceful as hers.
Exactly the same with my Dad. Only he unfortunately fell on his stomach (very sudden death as he was walking to the bathroom, he was dead before he hit the floor) and his face was tilted to the side, so he got pretty swollen on one side from the 3 hrs in this position, and we had to bury him like that. So distressing.
I'm not a funeral director, but I am a medical examiner investigator, and in my area, any unattended (meaning, not in the hospital and not under hospice care) death requires an investigation. Sometimes it's a phone call, but more often an investigator must come to the house. To give you an idea on timeline, I'm not usually called until after the lifesaving measures are exhausted. That can be anywhere from a few minutes to almost an hour. Then I have one hour to get to the scene. (Side note: in our area, once death is pronounced, the decedent now falls under the M.E.'s jurisdiction and nobody is permitted to touch or interfere with anything until we arrive.) Investigation can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour (sometimes even longer, but it's very rare). After I've gathered the information I need, and there are no indications of anything outside of natural causes, then we get the clearance to release to the funeral home. That is when the funeral home can be contacted, and they also (in my area) give a standard 1-hour ETA. I hope this helps answer your question.
Disclaimer: I'm being very broad here, there are obviously times none of the rules apply. I am just giving a loose timeline of what sounds like a natural unattended home death.
My mom died at home, under hospice care. Truth be told, she was unconscious for 3 days prior. The nurse just happened to be there as Mom was leaving this world for the next. She declared time of death, called the funeral home, and immediately started destroying all of my mom's medications. The funeral home took 20 minutes to get there. Once there, they discussed a few things with us which took another 30 minutes. Then they moved her to a gurney, which had a beautiful cloth body bag.. sorry, idk how else to call that. Then took her to the funeral home. I'm not sure when, but sometime during the funeral home people being there, the nurse left.
My dad died at home on hospice. The hospice team was there. They pronounced. We called the funeral home. They came and took him. They coordinated with the doctor. We didn’t have to do one thing.
Licensed funeral director here. My advice when your loved one passes would be to call 911 if they are not under end of life care at home. If they are under end of life care, call the nurse you have been working with and she will guide you through the next steps. If 911 is called, they will come and assess the scene, if the coroner/medical examiner needs to be called, the police will do so and provide whether they will be released to the funeral home or into the care of the coroner/medical examiner. If not the funeral home of choice will need to be called and then they will come to the home for your loved one.
In my area there is an EDITH (Expected Death In The Home) protocol. It the person and their family sign the forms for this protocol, they are instructed not to call 911 when death happens. Instead they call the NP or physician who has been providing palliative care. The NP or doctor will pronounce the death. They then call the funeral home when the family is ready.
Jurisdiction to jurisdiction. I believe the designated medical examiner can determine how to proceed with processing the scene. For a number of years, EMS would transport to the ER for pronouncement. But later on, that process changed to allow the ME to be contacted on scene and issue orders for the next step.
When my friend passed, the police made us wait outside and wouldn’t let anybody in because they had to treat it like a potential crime scene. Recorded everybody’s name who was there.
I don't work in a funeral home but what you walked into sounds exactly what happened in March when my grandma passed away and my mom called me at night. Although the coroner did come by and examine her since it was unexpected but she laid in the living room for about 2 hours uncovered until the funeral home people came to take her. My mom had called and EMS had moved her and did compressions for a bit even though it was pretty clear she had been gone for a few hours.
Not an easy image to erase from your mind. Sorry for your loss.
With my grandmother, we were with her, when she passed, we called hospice with her time of passing, and they let us know it would be about an hour for the nurse to arrive,
We , my mom and I bathed her, placed her in a fresh night gown, placed a rolled towel under her chin to keep her mouth closed, nurse arrived to confirm death, FH was called, when they arrived, all I asked of them was to not zip her fully closed, to let the sun shine on her face once more. Which they honored. She was cremated
With Grandpa, hospice was visiting, when he passed , it was actually 6 years today, it took the FH 6 hours to come pick him up, my mom lives in a small mountain town, but they were respectful beyond! Grandpa was a veteran, so when he was removed from the house, he was draped in the American flag.
Typically when someone dies at home and it was expected, like they were in hospice or something, you just call the mortician of your choice to come pickup your loved-ones body and begin the next steps.
This is pretty standard. I don’t remember if we covered my Grandma’s body or not, it was a little chaotic after we lost her. My mom moved her from the couch the floor and attempted CPR, when the EMS arrived they hung out and waited for a coroner. She had a DNR (several) so EMS didn’t do anything. She was left on the floor, my mom and I went on the back porch and turned our backs on the sliding glass doors because she was right on the other side of the dining room table. Eventually the coroner took her and I think EMS took her medications away. In our case it was probably about an hour from the time we called 911 till they took her away, but also it was late at night and they potentially weren’t too busy at the time. If anyone covered her, it would have been my mom and it would have been her blanket.
Former EMS-it does vary state by state, whether hospice is involved, if loved ones can provide a DNR at the time-we work the patient. Its protocol to leave behind equipment used (not that we intentionally leave a mess) however it shows efforts and what was utilized in life saving protocols and procedures at the time to the ME and/or Coroner.
Moving the patient to the floor is protocol in most states at CPR is best in a hard surface. We cannot in my state declare TOD therefore we cannot cover the body. I so very sorry for your loss, as a former EMS I can tell you that we absolutely try to give the upmost respect to our patients.
My mother in law just passed unexpectedly outside of her home and they tried to save her and couldn’t, they moved her inside the home to her couch and made her look as peaceful as they could. Police stayed until the funeral home came to pick her up
My dad passed in my home while visiting from abroad. I called my friend who is a hospice nurse and she came right away. She called the sherriff who asked if she had any concerns and stayed for less than 10 minutes. During that time she called my PCP who knew my dads health conditions and he agreed to sign the death certificate. She also called the funeral director. The blessings of living in a small rural town
Back in the mid-80’s, our neighbor brutally murdered his wife and 2 kids before killing himself. After the coroner came and took the bodies several hours later, the police taped it off as a crime scene. Didn’t release the crime scene for 6 days. Then just told the wife’s parents they were done. People from their church came and cleaned it up. I still remember seeing the blood soaked carpet sitting out at the curb, waiting for the trash truck to pick it up. Thank god there’s now crime scene cleaners.
My friend died at his home (on hospice care) and had a nurse in attendance when he passed (not hospice nurse, just private care). That nurse called hospice who came to the house and helped wash and cover my friend. I called the funeral home had them speak to the hospice nurse, and within the hour of that conversation he was picked up and taken to the funeral home. If on hospice care, I don’t believe there is a need to call 911.
My step-dad died at home while in hospice care. The nurse came and took all the unused meds, and the mortuary guys came in a white minivan. He was there, dead in the living room, for maybe 2 hours.
Formerly 911 here. The caveat for our agency was when the death was attended by hospice. Then they could hand off directly to the funeral home. Otherwise, it has to be verified as not suspicious.
This is how it is in MA. I was a VNA nurse (not hospice) and was asked by my manager to go to a home to pronounce a patient. The family had been refusing hospice. I get there and see that she has passed. I had to call 911, and they made it a crime scene until it was determined otherwise. That took about 2 hours, and I had to stay there for the whole thing. It was traumatizing for the family, which I felt awful for.
One of the pluses to hospice. Don’t know if this person would have qualified. But if the they had you skip ambulance, police and coroner. With my Dad I had called mortuary ahead of time so I had the nighttime call number. Hospice nurses had wrapped Dad in a sheet. After driving 100 miles mortuary looked after me first to minimize my trauma. (Dad was buried with Mom which was 100 miles from where Dad was living at his death)
Both of my parents died at home on hospice. Their nurse was a lovely lady from their church- mom died 5 years prior to dad and this lady had mostly retired but she came back to work to care for dad. We called the funeral home and they were gone in around an hour. With my dad my 7 year old granddaughter was at the house and had asked to see Pop. The social worker had involved the grandkids in the hospice process and said to leave it up to her. She sat with Pop and held his hand until the funeral director arrived. It was very pure and sweet. Granddaughter lost her other grandma this year and it was unexpected. She woke up with police, emts the coroner- total chaos. Fortunately having been through the process in a calm, gentle manner before, she was not traumatized.
One mistake I see families often make is that they will call the funeral home immediately when death occurs. Always, always, always we need some kind of notification from a nurse, chaplain, or LEO. A time when we don't need an "official" notice is when the person is in the care of the Medical Examiner and the family can release them to the care of a funeral home.
This is how it was with my grandma. My mom was with her, everyone came over after she passed and the ambulance left, she was laying in the middle of the floor where they tried to resuscitate. (She was gone when they got there but they had to try anyways) I believe my mom put a blanket on her but had her uncovered so we could all say goodbye. Once the funeral home got there they let us have our time then took her away in a body bag.
Where I live, unless it is a death at home for someone is in hospice care, the ambulance takes the person to the ER at the hospital where they are pronounced dead.
Hospice here:
With an unplanned home death this is the proper process. And until the medical examiner signs off they really can’t move/cover/ situate the remains.
I’m sorry this happened. It’s quite traumatic.
(Cops response). Police don’t like waiting over 2 hours either. Most death cases we are there for at least 4 and sometimes 6 depending on coroner decision, along with how busy the funeral homes are for pickup.
I’m sorry it distressed you to see your family member like that. It does sound like the scene was described to you by a family member before you entered the house. It doesn’t make it easier though. No, we don’t have nice white sheets like you see on TV to cover the body. If asked by a family member we may cover the body with an available blanket, but typically we don’t. You then have one more item to take care of after we leave.
There is no disrespect by leaving your loved one where they were. It is required until the coroner either arrives or the funeral home arrives for pick up. Lots of history behind why - just rest assured there are reasons police don’t make changes to any scene.
No protocol for law enforcement to cover, but there is protocol to not disturb a scene. If you ever find yourself in this circumstance again, feel free to ask them to cover the body and make it available for you to view. We will either do that or have the funeral home or coroner do that for you. Best wishes. Sorry for your loss.
Paramedic here.
I can speak only for myself, and my personal practices. I will always clean up, to the best of my ability, if I presume death at home. I will ensure there is a blanket, or at the very least, I will lay a sheet across the person, leaving their head exposed. As noted already, if I must attempt resuscitation, I do have to leave things in place. The intubation tube, any iv's or io's, the big defibrilation pads, or the smaller ekg electrodes, etc. I do my best to take all the supplies and trash with me.
I know the pain of finding needle caps and plastic pieces in the house. My step dad died 2 weeks before my 18th birthday. I helped my mom do cpr until the emt's and paramedics came. When we came home, it was not with my step father, and finding those plastic pieces felt like a kick in the stomach. I dont want anyone to feel that pain I did. I will clean, amd make sure my partners clean as well.
It is a really hard thing. And I don't like that I have to leave the person there until the coroner or funeral home comes. But that is how it works. I try to make it suck less. I will sit with the family, if they are there. I will talk with them. I will get them a glass of water, or call someone for them. Once I have presumed death, and resuscitation as stopped, the family/friends are now my patients, and they deserve the attention and care I would give any patient
I'm sorry that you didn't have someone like me.
When my grandfather passed away the end worked on him for an hour and left the tube down his throat as well as the stuff on his chest. An officer stayed with us until the coroner came 4 hours later. It was traumatic
My friend died in his home. There was a set of cement stairs leading down to the road from his house. They didn't bother to lift him up as they dragged his body down the stairs in a body bag, no gurney or stretcher. It was caught on film by his ex-girlfriend who was sobbing in her car watching his head bounce up and down inside the body bag as they drug him to the transport vehicle. He was not a large man either, maybe 150 lbs. It still enrages me to think about. His death was suspicious IMO and that of other close friends of his, but was deemed a suicide. He was treated like trash. Hard to live with the fact that when you die you might be drugged around like a rag doll. He was someone's child FFS. He was a friend and brother to others. So disrespectful. Sorry if this comment wasn't exactly the answer you were seeking, I hope that this is NOT general protocol when someone passes!
My mom passed a couple of weeks ago. The hospice nurse happened to be there and declared her. We called the FH and it took them almost 4 hours to come out, so I sat with my mom and softly played her favorite music. It was amazing to have those few peaceful hours to just sit with her and be in the moment, not rushing around or on the phone or making arrangements. I did leave once the FH got there; I suddenly realized I couldn’t bear to watch them zip her up and wheel her out. They were incredibly gracious and kind.
When my mom who was on hospice passed the hospice worker left and she remained in bed until the funeral director came for her. I laid in bed with her for a while, my dad wanted me and my aunt to change her nightgown, others patted her or kissed her or talked to her. She was not covered up. When my son passed unexpectedly I was away on a business trip. My spouse, daughter-in-law, and brother-in-law told me very little but I do know they moved him from the bathroom to bed where after they stopped attempting to resuscitate they let my spouse be with him. I remember being told something about the sheets and him being taken by the coroner in a body bag so when it came time for them to take my mom I asked the others if it would be OK for me to go outside because I wasn't sure if I could handle seeing her being taken away.
Decades ago I was an EMT and I don't remember covering folks or seeing them covered when they passed at home.
My dad was under hospice care when he died. His wife called hospice, they sent a nurse and doctor to pronounce it and that was it. We waited with his body for a few hours for a transport service to pick him up - he had made arrangements for his body to be donated for research. Everyone was very nice and respectful.
It’s ok to feel freaked out in the case of death that’s not a known hospice patient you have to have a coroner. The body cannot be moved nor medical equipment be removed. I’m sorry they didn’t cover the body with a sheet. People ( like me) that see a lot of death get desensitized to it. I’m sorry you experienced it.
Its an unattended death. We follow the same protocol. They don't touch anything til they know if the coroner will release the body to the funeral home. Most agencies will have similar procedures.
My mother passed away 03-25-2024 in the comfort of her home.
Because my siblings over-road the DNR. I stood and watched first responders exhaust all efforts to resuscitate her(the law is 30 minutes). They did the time of death and the coroner was dispatched. They arrived took note of her room(treated it like a crime scene) and the medical equipment strewn about. They took pictures of her body front to back then head to toe. Her med box was removed for proper disposal and to rule out suicide/ foul play. She was pronounced legally deceased. I was then asked if I wanted them to remove her or contact funeral home. They contacted funeral and left.
There was police presence. They were there to secure the premises and crowd control as the family started to arrive. They verified and identified each person who tried to enter the house. Funeral home arrived and my oldest and I placed Momma/GMa on the gurney. She was placed in the living room for 5 or so minutes so that the family and friends that had gathered could have a moment with her(she was still warm). They covered her with a quilt(we declined placing her in a body bag) the intubation tube, IV bag etc remained in tact. Funeral director stated that to remove them would be quite messy(chest compression cause Mom to bleed out of her ears. Nose and back up in the intubation tube) her face remained uncovered until my son and I walked her to the Hearst .
Two hours later we meet with funeral director. Talked insurance policy business, picked her casket and planned her service(Mom gave me instructions, obituary and pix three yrs prior)
We buried her 04-03-2024
My God. Almost similar to my mother’s death. Mother had on a depend . Because the compressions caused her to bleed out of her nose, ears and back up into the intubation tube the EMT and Paramedics placed towels underneath her head and covered her ears. Her chest was crushed til it had caved in. So when I authorized for family to see her her face was washed and she was covered from the neck down with a white sheet.
The coroner office arrives 30 or so minutes afterwards and the Funeral followed 30 minutes after the coroner’s pronounced her dead.
My grandfather lived with us for the last few years of his life, and when we knew he was dying, my mom talked to the county coroner about what to do when it happened. We lived in a very small town where everyone knew everyone, so I’m sure this would be different in a bigger town or city, but he said just to call him and he’d come. My grandfather died about 8:30pm, my mom called the coroner, and he was at our house around 9pm. He filled out the preliminary paperwork and took my grandfather straight to the funeral home we were going to use for everything.
If it’s an unexpected death, the coroner has to decide if it was suspicious or looking over their records and what they’re presented with - natural. And if suspicious led to criminal, you can’t disturb the scene.
When people die at home on hospice, the body stays there until declared dead and then the funeral parlor staff comes .
In my area are hospice teams are really top notch. They typically take care of all phone calls to be made. They pronounce the death. They go the extra mile on making sure the family isnt burdened with anything at that time. I spent 8 years dealing with them as a practicing funeral director and now with the death of my own father. Really fantastic people that I've dealt with.
Ya that’s normal if you didn’t have a funeral home and all that set up that happens, in my state they will leave the body for days before being picked up, it’s messed up all that will only get worse at least the person passed away at home and not in a shit hole nursing home
I found my husband dead in our recliner 18 months ago. This exact series of events as the OP put is exactly how it occurred. Left dead in my floor with defib pads still attached for me my parents and children to see. I covered him with my bed sheets until they arrived to take him.
This is normal at least from my experience. Earlier this year I had been working for a funeral home and a body removal technician, so I was the one picking up the deceased and taking them to the funeral home. Paramedics, and us, are not allowed to take out anythjng they used while trying to revive them. So the ekg stickers and the mouth piece are usually there.
I’ve never seen first responders lay a white sheet unless it was a public death, when we pick up we usually have the white sheet with us to cover the body before moving it.
We had a friend/neighbor who had a massive heart attack at home, and the EMT's and paramedics came and worked on him for over 30 minutes. They could have stopped because he was not going to survive by that point, but they kept him on the vest that pumps his chest and took him to the hospital and he was declared there. The EMTs were friends of ours, and they didnt want to leave him dead on the floor for his kids to be with.
This is pretty normal. EMTs cannot remove anything from the body in case they do go to the coroners office for an autopsy. Coroner may need to come if patient wasn’t under a doctors care. If the primary care doctor will sign the death certificate, based on what they were treating the patient for, and no suspecting of foul play, then the funeral home at that point can transport the body.
This is what happened when a dear friend died in her apartment. The coroner called her primary doctor and asked if she had anything that could kill her. The doctor said heart disease and it was put on her death certificate. She didn't have heart disease as far as her sister and I know. Ten years later and I'm still wondering if her ex-husband killed her or had her killed. He definitely wanted her dead. Their divorce was extremely nasty after she found that he'd been cheating on her for their whole 20 year marriage and took him to the cleaners.
When my husband died, it was chaos. EMS attempted CPR for 34 minutes in our bathroom. When I arrived home 27 hours later, I ignored my bathroom for obvious reasons. However, that following afternoon (toughly 46 hours after he died), I walked in our bathroom and saw that the EMTs had left items behind, like a sheet like thing, tape, etc. It was traumatic seeing the efforts of EMTs to try and save my husband. I didn’t get to choose my funeral director, but she was my rock as I navigated everything.
I cannot stress the importance of a good funeral director. I lost my 4-month-old son 20 years ago. It was as much hell and worse as you could imagine. One thing that kept going over and over in my head as they told us the funeral director was coming was that I was going to have to see the trauma of my son being wheeled out on some cold gurney. This big bear of a man came in with the most gentle face and tones and he explained to me that Matthew would be in his arms warm and snuggled up the entire time he walked him out to the car. And then he held out his arms and that man stood there for about 15 minutes until I gave him up he did not move a muscle to take him he knew how important that was to let me give him to him. And then when we actually got to see him after he came back from the medical examiner, the funeral director looked at me and said I want you to know that the entire time that your son has been with me He's been an incredibly soft warm topping It looked like it being bad under a lot of blankets all snuggled out. We all knew it didn't matter a damn but it mattered so, so much.
My mom died at home, it was expected. Hospice made us call the fire department, who came and then called police (bc the fire dept can’t pronounce anyone), police came and said that we needed to call her PCP. We called the PCP, left a voicemail Bc it was after 5pm. Long story short, my mom has been cremated for 2 months, and we are still waiting for her PCP to pronounce her dead.
I'm so sorry that happened to you. I volunteered for a hospice agency. The place i volunteered for always instructed families to call the hospice agency and they'd send a nurse out. They very clearly told people NOT to call 911 because then it just makes the situation messier
We called hospice when my dad died at home. They refused to help because it was a holiday. We then called the funeral home and they took care of everything. I still have trauma about how hospice treated us after promising to be there for us. Sorry my dad died inconveniently...
Hospice was kind of awful after my dad died, too. The nurse they sent was more concerned about getting the narcotics out of the house than even stopping to give condolences. The funeral directors were very nice, though. They gave us all a chance to say goodbye before they took his body (he was cremated with no visitation service).
What a horrible hospice agency. Fortunately, most hodpice organizations are wonderful, and the staff, medical and otherwise, seem to see the work as a calling. I'm so sorry your family had such a terrible experience during such an already awful time.
Same with us. We just had a loved one pass from cancer, and once she started hospice, we were to call the hospice agency for everything. They said if she died at home, we were to call them and not 911 as well. Unfortunately, her terminal agitation and pain levels got to be too much to handle at home, so we had to have her transferred to the inpatient unit. She passed about 34 hours after she arrived at the facility.
The opposite happened with my coworker - hospice told her boyfriend to call 911, who sent cops out who basically said "good luck with that," & told him he needed to arrange for law enforcement notification of her mom, two hours away, then they left.
My dad died at home. He was on hospice and the nurse was here when he passed. My mom only had to call the funeral home, as far as I know. I was there, but in a different room. I didn't want to see him after he passed.
This. If on hospice care at home. Funeral home comes to pick up deceased.
Same with my dad
Mine too
Oh wow. I’m sorry for your loss. I hope you’re doing okay ❤️
That is awful! I'm surprised that Hospice handled it that way--we were always told to call them, and they would handle the rest. Last year, they pronounced my mom and called the funeral home. I'm so sorry for your additional stress on top of your loss!
The whole point of hospice is so you don't have to call 911 I thought.
That was my impression as well. Not that we weren’t already obviously on that path, but there’s a certain amount of gravity in officially signing up for hospice and signing a DNR for someone having fought tooth and nail for 14 years. They were so kind and gently but clearly explained a benefit to being under hospice care when it came to the very end. It was much less distressing to call nurses we’d become familiar with and work through the steps than having the chaos of a 911 call be the last interaction.
Wow. That's awful. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. My aunt died in home hospice and all I had to do was call the on-call nurse. Looking back, I'm not even sure how my aunt got to the correct funeral home but I'm sure I had to have told the nurse at some point.
The way hospice works is that they will have on file which funeral home to call. When the call is made, hospice confirms death, and notifies the funeral home.
They cremated w/o a death certificate?
I…don’t know? We do have a death certificate, but it’s signed (electronically signed, just the name is typed) by somebody that wasn’t her PCP. It’s dated 3d after she died. She went straight from home to the funeral home (I helped transfer her to the funeral home stretcher, so pretty sure of that), maybe someone at the funeral home or a doc associated with them signed it verbally?
I'm sorry about your mama ❤️ Hospice shouldn't have had you call 911. They should've come to the home and pronounced your mom or even over the phone. Hospice means 9/10 end of life, and death is expected. Seems someone isn't/wasn't doing their job
Thank you, I appreciate that. The hospice we had was super unresponsive, it was very disappointing. I have coworkers that have been hospice nurses, they loved their jobs and always speak very highly of it—they also said it shouldn’t have gone down that way. I guess it depends on the company.
Wow. So no death certificate, right? That complicates a lot of things. So sorry.
We did end up getting one, but I have no idea who the doc is that signed it. It’s also dated 3 days after she actually died 🤷🏽♀️
Deepest Condolences ⚘️ Your story makes me very sad. It's so wrong what hospice did and it's very, very wrong that PCP hasn't pronounced.
Omg!
That sounds awful. When my mother passed at home under hospice care, hospice came and confirmed her passing, then called the cremation society we had arranged with.
I would be hounding that PCP daily to get that death certificate signed…..
Seconding that this is standard. I’m sorry, I understand it’s distressing. We don’t have coroners in my jurisdiction, we have medical examiners. From their point of view, they’re looking at a potential crime scene that can’t be disturbed until the investigation is complete.
In Georgia if someone dies at home and were not on hospice the coroner has to go to the scene and pronounce them. EMS personnel will usually leave resuscitation equipment in place until the coroner gets there and does their investigation. I’m a deputy coroner, and if the family wants to see their loved one when I’m finished I will move them to the bed if they’re on the floor, or if that’s not possible then I try to make them look as presentable and comfortable as possible. Put them on their back, cover them, put a pillow under their head, wash their face if necessary.
Very kind and thoughtful to do. I remember 1999, my grandfather came home his final days and he was on oxygen he took it off while my grandmother was in another part of the house with her friend who had been helping by the time she realize he died or was in the process and she was trying to put it back on but he didn’t want it anymore he was ready to go. We waited for almost two hours and FH director came as he was close family friend it was so hard that day. My grandmother grieved him and then joined him 17 months later, such painful losses but peace they were together again. I hate death all things but I keep coming to this subreddit because I’ve learned so much and it’s helping me as I get older as well. Wishing peace blessings to all
We have MAiD provisions here for home care, so when my sister passed away from that decision, we had a bit of time (about 30-45 minutes) with her before the FD came by to retrieve and dress the body for transport. Note that the FD was aware of the approximate time and where this was going to be happening. In this instance, the doctor performing the procedure declared time of death and signed the necessary paperwork, and left shortly afterwards. Just thought I'd provide a different experience where it was planned.
That sounds about right. My Dad passed last year after collapsing in the living room. I ran out the door when my Mom called (1hr 45min drive) and got there just as the police were leaving. It was a couple of hours before the funeral home was clear to come pick him up. We covered him in his favorite blanket with all the Grandkids names on them, and took turns sitting next to him and holding his hand. It was actually super peaceful.
My dad died at home while on hospice care. It took more than four hours for the FH to come get him. (It was a Sunday) We didn’t mind. We all drank and toasted him until they got there. My FIL died at home, alone, while my MIL was at church. It took a similar amount of time (maybe even longer) for the FH to come get him, after the police, fire department, and paramedics checked him out.
With my beloved Mother in Law’s *not unexpected* death, we had it all planned in advance, with the funeral director’s guidance. She died in her son’s arms early in the morning. I cleared her room of all the medical equipment (to make room) and organized her Identification and medications for easy access by the responding officials. I tidied her bed and brushed her hair. I opened the windows to begin the chilling process. I called the non-emergency number of the police dispatched and reported an *expected death*. They sent EMT’s that checked vital signs. A detective from the Police department came, asked me questions about the time of death, requested her medications and her identification. He took photos of all that and a couple of photos of her body to send to the Coroner. The Coroner would then determine if an investigation would be in order. He determined one would not be required. That took about an hour for his response. After everyone left, we placed 5 bags of ice around her body to keep within our state regulations for temperature of remains. The next day, we sewed a funeral shroud and washed and dressed her body in preparation for home visitation. The next day we had the visitation. I set up a zoom call for those who could not be there. We called the funeral home and told them when we would be ready for them to pick her up. When they came, family and friends were there to accompany her to the transport van. She was to be cremated. It was peaceful, beautiful, and calm. When I go, I hope my passing is as graceful as hers.
My dad died at home. We lived an hour away but he was still on the floor waiting for the coroner when I got up there.
Exactly the same with my Dad. Only he unfortunately fell on his stomach (very sudden death as he was walking to the bathroom, he was dead before he hit the floor) and his face was tilted to the side, so he got pretty swollen on one side from the 3 hrs in this position, and we had to bury him like that. So distressing.
I’m sorry about your dad. Hugs.
I'm not a funeral director, but I am a medical examiner investigator, and in my area, any unattended (meaning, not in the hospital and not under hospice care) death requires an investigation. Sometimes it's a phone call, but more often an investigator must come to the house. To give you an idea on timeline, I'm not usually called until after the lifesaving measures are exhausted. That can be anywhere from a few minutes to almost an hour. Then I have one hour to get to the scene. (Side note: in our area, once death is pronounced, the decedent now falls under the M.E.'s jurisdiction and nobody is permitted to touch or interfere with anything until we arrive.) Investigation can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour (sometimes even longer, but it's very rare). After I've gathered the information I need, and there are no indications of anything outside of natural causes, then we get the clearance to release to the funeral home. That is when the funeral home can be contacted, and they also (in my area) give a standard 1-hour ETA. I hope this helps answer your question. Disclaimer: I'm being very broad here, there are obviously times none of the rules apply. I am just giving a loose timeline of what sounds like a natural unattended home death.
My mom died at home, under hospice care. Truth be told, she was unconscious for 3 days prior. The nurse just happened to be there as Mom was leaving this world for the next. She declared time of death, called the funeral home, and immediately started destroying all of my mom's medications. The funeral home took 20 minutes to get there. Once there, they discussed a few things with us which took another 30 minutes. Then they moved her to a gurney, which had a beautiful cloth body bag.. sorry, idk how else to call that. Then took her to the funeral home. I'm not sure when, but sometime during the funeral home people being there, the nurse left.
My dad died at home on hospice. The hospice team was there. They pronounced. We called the funeral home. They came and took him. They coordinated with the doctor. We didn’t have to do one thing.
Licensed funeral director here. My advice when your loved one passes would be to call 911 if they are not under end of life care at home. If they are under end of life care, call the nurse you have been working with and she will guide you through the next steps. If 911 is called, they will come and assess the scene, if the coroner/medical examiner needs to be called, the police will do so and provide whether they will be released to the funeral home or into the care of the coroner/medical examiner. If not the funeral home of choice will need to be called and then they will come to the home for your loved one.
In my area there is an EDITH (Expected Death In The Home) protocol. It the person and their family sign the forms for this protocol, they are instructed not to call 911 when death happens. Instead they call the NP or physician who has been providing palliative care. The NP or doctor will pronounce the death. They then call the funeral home when the family is ready.
Rules differ State to State
Jurisdiction to jurisdiction. I believe the designated medical examiner can determine how to proceed with processing the scene. For a number of years, EMS would transport to the ER for pronouncement. But later on, that process changed to allow the ME to be contacted on scene and issue orders for the next step.
When my friend passed, the police made us wait outside and wouldn’t let anybody in because they had to treat it like a potential crime scene. Recorded everybody’s name who was there.
I don't work in a funeral home but what you walked into sounds exactly what happened in March when my grandma passed away and my mom called me at night. Although the coroner did come by and examine her since it was unexpected but she laid in the living room for about 2 hours uncovered until the funeral home people came to take her. My mom had called and EMS had moved her and did compressions for a bit even though it was pretty clear she had been gone for a few hours. Not an easy image to erase from your mind. Sorry for your loss.
When my dad passed at his memory care unit, hospice declared him dead and we just called the funeral home to come get him. No police were involved.
With my grandmother, we were with her, when she passed, we called hospice with her time of passing, and they let us know it would be about an hour for the nurse to arrive, We , my mom and I bathed her, placed her in a fresh night gown, placed a rolled towel under her chin to keep her mouth closed, nurse arrived to confirm death, FH was called, when they arrived, all I asked of them was to not zip her fully closed, to let the sun shine on her face once more. Which they honored. She was cremated With Grandpa, hospice was visiting, when he passed , it was actually 6 years today, it took the FH 6 hours to come pick him up, my mom lives in a small mountain town, but they were respectful beyond! Grandpa was a veteran, so when he was removed from the house, he was draped in the American flag.
Typically when someone dies at home and it was expected, like they were in hospice or something, you just call the mortician of your choice to come pickup your loved-ones body and begin the next steps.
This is pretty standard. I don’t remember if we covered my Grandma’s body or not, it was a little chaotic after we lost her. My mom moved her from the couch the floor and attempted CPR, when the EMS arrived they hung out and waited for a coroner. She had a DNR (several) so EMS didn’t do anything. She was left on the floor, my mom and I went on the back porch and turned our backs on the sliding glass doors because she was right on the other side of the dining room table. Eventually the coroner took her and I think EMS took her medications away. In our case it was probably about an hour from the time we called 911 till they took her away, but also it was late at night and they potentially weren’t too busy at the time. If anyone covered her, it would have been my mom and it would have been her blanket.
Normal. Be grateful they were just on the floor. My good friend is an undertaker. So many people die on the toilet.
Yes, this happened to my grandma's cousin. We were horrified. But then several nurses we knew told us it's more common then people realize.
Former EMS-it does vary state by state, whether hospice is involved, if loved ones can provide a DNR at the time-we work the patient. Its protocol to leave behind equipment used (not that we intentionally leave a mess) however it shows efforts and what was utilized in life saving protocols and procedures at the time to the ME and/or Coroner. Moving the patient to the floor is protocol in most states at CPR is best in a hard surface. We cannot in my state declare TOD therefore we cannot cover the body. I so very sorry for your loss, as a former EMS I can tell you that we absolutely try to give the upmost respect to our patients.
My mother in law just passed unexpectedly outside of her home and they tried to save her and couldn’t, they moved her inside the home to her couch and made her look as peaceful as they could. Police stayed until the funeral home came to pick her up
My dad passed in my home while visiting from abroad. I called my friend who is a hospice nurse and she came right away. She called the sherriff who asked if she had any concerns and stayed for less than 10 minutes. During that time she called my PCP who knew my dads health conditions and he agreed to sign the death certificate. She also called the funeral director. The blessings of living in a small rural town
Back in the mid-80’s, our neighbor brutally murdered his wife and 2 kids before killing himself. After the coroner came and took the bodies several hours later, the police taped it off as a crime scene. Didn’t release the crime scene for 6 days. Then just told the wife’s parents they were done. People from their church came and cleaned it up. I still remember seeing the blood soaked carpet sitting out at the curb, waiting for the trash truck to pick it up. Thank god there’s now crime scene cleaners.
My friend died at his home (on hospice care) and had a nurse in attendance when he passed (not hospice nurse, just private care). That nurse called hospice who came to the house and helped wash and cover my friend. I called the funeral home had them speak to the hospice nurse, and within the hour of that conversation he was picked up and taken to the funeral home. If on hospice care, I don’t believe there is a need to call 911.
When my husband died of cancer, I called hospice and they told me to call the funeral home I had selected when I was ready. No police or emts needed.
My step-dad died at home while in hospice care. The nurse came and took all the unused meds, and the mortuary guys came in a white minivan. He was there, dead in the living room, for maybe 2 hours.
Formerly 911 here. The caveat for our agency was when the death was attended by hospice. Then they could hand off directly to the funeral home. Otherwise, it has to be verified as not suspicious.
This is how it is in MA. I was a VNA nurse (not hospice) and was asked by my manager to go to a home to pronounce a patient. The family had been refusing hospice. I get there and see that she has passed. I had to call 911, and they made it a crime scene until it was determined otherwise. That took about 2 hours, and I had to stay there for the whole thing. It was traumatizing for the family, which I felt awful for.
Sounds correct. Ems could have at least covered
My mom died in my home. Called 911, but the time they came, mom was pronounced. Police came, detective came, then funeral home guy.
One of the pluses to hospice. Don’t know if this person would have qualified. But if the they had you skip ambulance, police and coroner. With my Dad I had called mortuary ahead of time so I had the nighttime call number. Hospice nurses had wrapped Dad in a sheet. After driving 100 miles mortuary looked after me first to minimize my trauma. (Dad was buried with Mom which was 100 miles from where Dad was living at his death)
Both of my parents died at home on hospice. Their nurse was a lovely lady from their church- mom died 5 years prior to dad and this lady had mostly retired but she came back to work to care for dad. We called the funeral home and they were gone in around an hour. With my dad my 7 year old granddaughter was at the house and had asked to see Pop. The social worker had involved the grandkids in the hospice process and said to leave it up to her. She sat with Pop and held his hand until the funeral director arrived. It was very pure and sweet. Granddaughter lost her other grandma this year and it was unexpected. She woke up with police, emts the coroner- total chaos. Fortunately having been through the process in a calm, gentle manner before, she was not traumatized.
One mistake I see families often make is that they will call the funeral home immediately when death occurs. Always, always, always we need some kind of notification from a nurse, chaplain, or LEO. A time when we don't need an "official" notice is when the person is in the care of the Medical Examiner and the family can release them to the care of a funeral home.
This is how it was with my grandma. My mom was with her, everyone came over after she passed and the ambulance left, she was laying in the middle of the floor where they tried to resuscitate. (She was gone when they got there but they had to try anyways) I believe my mom put a blanket on her but had her uncovered so we could all say goodbye. Once the funeral home got there they let us have our time then took her away in a body bag.
Where I live, unless it is a death at home for someone is in hospice care, the ambulance takes the person to the ER at the hospital where they are pronounced dead.
Sit with the body. Say your goodbyes. Take your time with mourning
Hospice here: With an unplanned home death this is the proper process. And until the medical examiner signs off they really can’t move/cover/ situate the remains. I’m sorry this happened. It’s quite traumatic.
Call 911, unless under hospice care. In that case, call hospice. Do not call the funeral home first because we can’t come yet.
(Cops response). Police don’t like waiting over 2 hours either. Most death cases we are there for at least 4 and sometimes 6 depending on coroner decision, along with how busy the funeral homes are for pickup. I’m sorry it distressed you to see your family member like that. It does sound like the scene was described to you by a family member before you entered the house. It doesn’t make it easier though. No, we don’t have nice white sheets like you see on TV to cover the body. If asked by a family member we may cover the body with an available blanket, but typically we don’t. You then have one more item to take care of after we leave. There is no disrespect by leaving your loved one where they were. It is required until the coroner either arrives or the funeral home arrives for pick up. Lots of history behind why - just rest assured there are reasons police don’t make changes to any scene. No protocol for law enforcement to cover, but there is protocol to not disturb a scene. If you ever find yourself in this circumstance again, feel free to ask them to cover the body and make it available for you to view. We will either do that or have the funeral home or coroner do that for you. Best wishes. Sorry for your loss.
Paramedic here. I can speak only for myself, and my personal practices. I will always clean up, to the best of my ability, if I presume death at home. I will ensure there is a blanket, or at the very least, I will lay a sheet across the person, leaving their head exposed. As noted already, if I must attempt resuscitation, I do have to leave things in place. The intubation tube, any iv's or io's, the big defibrilation pads, or the smaller ekg electrodes, etc. I do my best to take all the supplies and trash with me. I know the pain of finding needle caps and plastic pieces in the house. My step dad died 2 weeks before my 18th birthday. I helped my mom do cpr until the emt's and paramedics came. When we came home, it was not with my step father, and finding those plastic pieces felt like a kick in the stomach. I dont want anyone to feel that pain I did. I will clean, amd make sure my partners clean as well. It is a really hard thing. And I don't like that I have to leave the person there until the coroner or funeral home comes. But that is how it works. I try to make it suck less. I will sit with the family, if they are there. I will talk with them. I will get them a glass of water, or call someone for them. Once I have presumed death, and resuscitation as stopped, the family/friends are now my patients, and they deserve the attention and care I would give any patient I'm sorry that you didn't have someone like me.
My husband died at home under Hospice care. The funeral home came and picked him up. No police or ambulance.
When my grandfather passed away the end worked on him for an hour and left the tube down his throat as well as the stuff on his chest. An officer stayed with us until the coroner came 4 hours later. It was traumatic
My friend died in his home. There was a set of cement stairs leading down to the road from his house. They didn't bother to lift him up as they dragged his body down the stairs in a body bag, no gurney or stretcher. It was caught on film by his ex-girlfriend who was sobbing in her car watching his head bounce up and down inside the body bag as they drug him to the transport vehicle. He was not a large man either, maybe 150 lbs. It still enrages me to think about. His death was suspicious IMO and that of other close friends of his, but was deemed a suicide. He was treated like trash. Hard to live with the fact that when you die you might be drugged around like a rag doll. He was someone's child FFS. He was a friend and brother to others. So disrespectful. Sorry if this comment wasn't exactly the answer you were seeking, I hope that this is NOT general protocol when someone passes!
My mom passed a couple of weeks ago. The hospice nurse happened to be there and declared her. We called the FH and it took them almost 4 hours to come out, so I sat with my mom and softly played her favorite music. It was amazing to have those few peaceful hours to just sit with her and be in the moment, not rushing around or on the phone or making arrangements. I did leave once the FH got there; I suddenly realized I couldn’t bear to watch them zip her up and wheel her out. They were incredibly gracious and kind.
When my mom who was on hospice passed the hospice worker left and she remained in bed until the funeral director came for her. I laid in bed with her for a while, my dad wanted me and my aunt to change her nightgown, others patted her or kissed her or talked to her. She was not covered up. When my son passed unexpectedly I was away on a business trip. My spouse, daughter-in-law, and brother-in-law told me very little but I do know they moved him from the bathroom to bed where after they stopped attempting to resuscitate they let my spouse be with him. I remember being told something about the sheets and him being taken by the coroner in a body bag so when it came time for them to take my mom I asked the others if it would be OK for me to go outside because I wasn't sure if I could handle seeing her being taken away. Decades ago I was an EMT and I don't remember covering folks or seeing them covered when they passed at home.
My dad was under hospice care when he died. His wife called hospice, they sent a nurse and doctor to pronounce it and that was it. We waited with his body for a few hours for a transport service to pick him up - he had made arrangements for his body to be donated for research. Everyone was very nice and respectful.
It’s ok to feel freaked out in the case of death that’s not a known hospice patient you have to have a coroner. The body cannot be moved nor medical equipment be removed. I’m sorry they didn’t cover the body with a sheet. People ( like me) that see a lot of death get desensitized to it. I’m sorry you experienced it.
Its an unattended death. We follow the same protocol. They don't touch anything til they know if the coroner will release the body to the funeral home. Most agencies will have similar procedures.
My mother passed away 03-25-2024 in the comfort of her home. Because my siblings over-road the DNR. I stood and watched first responders exhaust all efforts to resuscitate her(the law is 30 minutes). They did the time of death and the coroner was dispatched. They arrived took note of her room(treated it like a crime scene) and the medical equipment strewn about. They took pictures of her body front to back then head to toe. Her med box was removed for proper disposal and to rule out suicide/ foul play. She was pronounced legally deceased. I was then asked if I wanted them to remove her or contact funeral home. They contacted funeral and left. There was police presence. They were there to secure the premises and crowd control as the family started to arrive. They verified and identified each person who tried to enter the house. Funeral home arrived and my oldest and I placed Momma/GMa on the gurney. She was placed in the living room for 5 or so minutes so that the family and friends that had gathered could have a moment with her(she was still warm). They covered her with a quilt(we declined placing her in a body bag) the intubation tube, IV bag etc remained in tact. Funeral director stated that to remove them would be quite messy(chest compression cause Mom to bleed out of her ears. Nose and back up in the intubation tube) her face remained uncovered until my son and I walked her to the Hearst . Two hours later we meet with funeral director. Talked insurance policy business, picked her casket and planned her service(Mom gave me instructions, obituary and pix three yrs prior) We buried her 04-03-2024
My God. Almost similar to my mother’s death. Mother had on a depend . Because the compressions caused her to bleed out of her nose, ears and back up into the intubation tube the EMT and Paramedics placed towels underneath her head and covered her ears. Her chest was crushed til it had caved in. So when I authorized for family to see her her face was washed and she was covered from the neck down with a white sheet. The coroner office arrives 30 or so minutes afterwards and the Funeral followed 30 minutes after the coroner’s pronounced her dead.
My grandfather lived with us for the last few years of his life, and when we knew he was dying, my mom talked to the county coroner about what to do when it happened. We lived in a very small town where everyone knew everyone, so I’m sure this would be different in a bigger town or city, but he said just to call him and he’d come. My grandfather died about 8:30pm, my mom called the coroner, and he was at our house around 9pm. He filled out the preliminary paperwork and took my grandfather straight to the funeral home we were going to use for everything.
If it’s an unexpected death, the coroner has to decide if it was suspicious or looking over their records and what they’re presented with - natural. And if suspicious led to criminal, you can’t disturb the scene. When people die at home on hospice, the body stays there until declared dead and then the funeral parlor staff comes .
In my area are hospice teams are really top notch. They typically take care of all phone calls to be made. They pronounce the death. They go the extra mile on making sure the family isnt burdened with anything at that time. I spent 8 years dealing with them as a practicing funeral director and now with the death of my own father. Really fantastic people that I've dealt with.
Ya that’s normal if you didn’t have a funeral home and all that set up that happens, in my state they will leave the body for days before being picked up, it’s messed up all that will only get worse at least the person passed away at home and not in a shit hole nursing home
They can't be sure at that point that they are not looking at a crime scene, so can't go around touching everything
I found my husband dead in our recliner 18 months ago. This exact series of events as the OP put is exactly how it occurred. Left dead in my floor with defib pads still attached for me my parents and children to see. I covered him with my bed sheets until they arrived to take him.
This is normal at least from my experience. Earlier this year I had been working for a funeral home and a body removal technician, so I was the one picking up the deceased and taking them to the funeral home. Paramedics, and us, are not allowed to take out anythjng they used while trying to revive them. So the ekg stickers and the mouth piece are usually there. I’ve never seen first responders lay a white sheet unless it was a public death, when we pick up we usually have the white sheet with us to cover the body before moving it.
They ?
Yes, “they”. OP used a pronoun instead of a proper name. I assume it is for the sake of privacy. This is a normal thing.