Death usually comes at unexpected times. When a loved one dies, it may be difficult for those left behind to handle the grief that comes from this death. However, there are still a lot of arrangements to be made concerning the legal, financial and administrative tasks relating to the death. Here is a short guide to help you know what you need to prepare when a loved one passes away.
Things to Prepare on Days Following Death. Even if you are still in grief, these are the things that you need to take care of immediately following your loved one’s death.
• Death Notice. Probably the most difficult task to do when a loved one passed away is to notify the other relatives and friends of the death. Notifying your relatives and your loved one’s friends should be done in a timely and age-appropriate manner. If you and your loved one have children, you should be careful in relaying the news to them because they might still not know what death is all about.
It is important to immediately notify other relatives about the death of your loved one because they will be able to help you out with the other arrangements if you are too much stricken with grief.
• Write an Obituary. Placing an obituary in the classifieds section of a newspaper is good way of letting other people know about the death of your loved one. This will make sure that people who have known your loved one in the past or have been associated with him/her will know of the death.
Creating an online memorial is a new way to remember a loved one’s life and this can become interactive since people visiting the online memorial may add their own memories about the life of the person who has just passed away.
• Making Final Arrangements. Many people choose to handle all the final arrangements and services on their own. They get to choose the coffin and the type of service that they will require. However, a person who has just lost a loved one may be so stricken with grief that he/she may leave out other arrangements. There are funeral homes such as the Funeral Home Guatemala that may offer to handle all the funeral arrangements for you.
• Obtain Copies of the Death Certificate. The death certificate of a loved one is important and is required in handling the different legal and administrative tasks that are associated with his/her death. Having extra copies will be helpful to you. Funeral homes can give you extra copies at your request.
• Give yourself time to Grieve. Because you have to make the necessary preparations due to your loved one’s death, time can be hectic for you. However, you must remember to take time out for yourself in order to grieve your loss. Do not bottle up your grief. Take time to remember the life of your loved one.
Things to Prepare After the Burial.
• Close unresolved accounts. When your loved one dies, you have the responsibility of closing all his/her unresolved accounts. These include unpaid credit cards, bank accounts and government benefits. When these accounts are resolved in a timely manner, the interests that creditors will put on the accounts may be limited.
Monthly bills and other recurring bills should be taken cared of as well. Cancel all subscriptions of your loved one that may incur a recurring bill.
• Organize Belongings. Organize all the belongings of your loved one and determine which ones can be kept by the family and which items may be donated to a charity.
• Close all social-media accounts. If your loved one has subscribed to social media networks, now is the time to close all of them.
• File for benefits. Most people have life insurance, health insurance and social security benefits. Check if your loved one has these and then file for the benefits that are due to you.
Being prepared on what to do in case a loved one dies is one way of making sure that you can overcome your grieving process quickly. When your loved one dies, make sure that you take care of all the legal, financial and administrative tasks that are related to his/her death.
Article by Dunbar Winston of FuneralesReforma, who is a specialist in hispanic estate planning. For more information on servicios funerarios and contratos funerarios, visit his site today.
Things to Prepare on Days Following Death. Even if you are still in grief, these are the things that you need to take care of immediately following your loved one’s death.
• Death Notice. Probably the most difficult task to do when a loved one passed away is to notify the other relatives and friends of the death. Notifying your relatives and your loved one’s friends should be done in a timely and age-appropriate manner. If you and your loved one have children, you should be careful in relaying the news to them because they might still not know what death is all about.
It is important to immediately notify other relatives about the death of your loved one because they will be able to help you out with the other arrangements if you are too much stricken with grief.
• Write an Obituary. Placing an obituary in the classifieds section of a newspaper is good way of letting other people know about the death of your loved one. This will make sure that people who have known your loved one in the past or have been associated with him/her will know of the death.
Creating an online memorial is a new way to remember a loved one’s life and this can become interactive since people visiting the online memorial may add their own memories about the life of the person who has just passed away.
• Making Final Arrangements. Many people choose to handle all the final arrangements and services on their own. They get to choose the coffin and the type of service that they will require. However, a person who has just lost a loved one may be so stricken with grief that he/she may leave out other arrangements. There are funeral homes such as the Funeral Home Guatemala that may offer to handle all the funeral arrangements for you.
• Obtain Copies of the Death Certificate. The death certificate of a loved one is important and is required in handling the different legal and administrative tasks that are associated with his/her death. Having extra copies will be helpful to you. Funeral homes can give you extra copies at your request.
• Give yourself time to Grieve. Because you have to make the necessary preparations due to your loved one’s death, time can be hectic for you. However, you must remember to take time out for yourself in order to grieve your loss. Do not bottle up your grief. Take time to remember the life of your loved one.
Things to Prepare After the Burial.
• Close unresolved accounts. When your loved one dies, you have the responsibility of closing all his/her unresolved accounts. These include unpaid credit cards, bank accounts and government benefits. When these accounts are resolved in a timely manner, the interests that creditors will put on the accounts may be limited.
Monthly bills and other recurring bills should be taken cared of as well. Cancel all subscriptions of your loved one that may incur a recurring bill.
• Organize Belongings. Organize all the belongings of your loved one and determine which ones can be kept by the family and which items may be donated to a charity.
• Close all social-media accounts. If your loved one has subscribed to social media networks, now is the time to close all of them.
• File for benefits. Most people have life insurance, health insurance and social security benefits. Check if your loved one has these and then file for the benefits that are due to you.
Being prepared on what to do in case a loved one dies is one way of making sure that you can overcome your grieving process quickly. When your loved one dies, make sure that you take care of all the legal, financial and administrative tasks that are related to his/her death.
Article by Dunbar Winston of FuneralesReforma, who is a specialist in hispanic estate planning. For more information on servicios funerarios and contratos funerarios, visit his site today.
