When someone dies unexpectedly at home you will call 911. If there is an advance directive you will want to have it in hand otherwise, it is standard procedure for paramedics to attempt to resuscitate the individual. Transportation to a medical facility will likely take place. By way of preparation, if you have signed an advance directive; those most likely to be present should you die, should be aware of the location of the document.


When a person dies at home who has an advance directive that stipulates do not resuscitate and the death is not unexpected you may not be required to call 911. In this case you will contact the person/doctor in charge of care. 


When someone dies at home under hospice care the hospice care provider will be able to pronounce the death. Once death is pronounced the funeral home or mortuary of the family’s choice will be called and will come to the home to take the deceased into their care. By way of preparation, the family should choose a funeral home when a family member is admitted into hospice care.


When a person dies while traveling away from home 911 will need to be called. If there is an advance directive requesting do not resuscitate this document will need to be produced for the paramedics. Once death is pronounced by either a physician or the coroner YOUR HOMETOWN FUNERAL HOME SHOULD BE CALLED. Depending on the distance from home, your hometown funeral provider will either travel to collect the deceased or make arrangements to have the body transported to their location. Calling your local hometown funeral home is all that is necessary. 


By way of preparation, especially if you are a frequent traveler, you should contact your funeral home to discuss how to prepare for the unexpected. Most travel programs offer insurance protection for health emergencies and return of body expenses for each individual trip you take. Many funeral homes offer similar or better protection for all the trips you may take. The funeral home program is a pay once and be covered program that eliminates the added expense with each individual trip. It will also work even if you are just a hundred miles away visiting the grandchildren.


www.smithfamilycares.com


Smith Family Funeral Homes provides quality funeral, memorial and cremation services to the families of Central Arkansas. Their six locations can be found in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Westbrook, Sherwood, Benton and Arkadelphia. With a privately-owned crematory operated by licensed professionals, Smith Family Funeral Homes can guarantee their high standard of care throughout the cremation process. To learn more, visit smithfamilycares.com.

Choosing Cemetery Property

By Smith Family • 03 May, 2024
Regardless of the type of disposition (burial or cremation), choosing a “final resting place” is an integral part of laying a loved one to rest. The cemetery is the most commonly selected location for a loved one to rest in perpetuity. Whether you are making this decision for yourself in advance of need or deciding for a family member who has died, you should know there are options available that will support your individual values.

So You Want to Donate Your Body to Science

By Smith Family • 26 Apr, 2024
Some people wish to be organ donors, but others want their whole body to make a difference. Donating your body to science is a way to help the future of health, giving medical students a chance to study real human anatomy, practice their future profession, and research and find treatments for deadly diseases.

Do I Have to Have a Burial Vault?

By Smith Family • 19 Apr, 2024
When you preplan for your funeral, you may wonder which expenses are really worthwhile. Of course, you’ll need a casket, but what about everything that goes around it? Do you have to have a burial vault? Or can you just use a burial liner or even nothing at all?

How to Prepare for a Funeral? Contacting Loved Ones

By Smith Family • 12 Apr, 2024
The death of a loved one is often the most challenging thing one will face in one’s life. It’s overwhelming, disheartening, and saddening for you personally, but also for those around you. As you prepare for the funeral, you’ll need to start contacting loved ones. How do you determine who to tell first and how?

What is a Burial Vault?

By Smith Family • 05 Apr, 2024
When you think about the process of burying someone who has passed on, you’re likely familiar with a few terms. You probably know what a casket is for, what it’s made out of, and where it goes. You might understand a bit about the embalming process and how a body is prepared to be laid to rest. But do you know what a burial vault is? It’s a term that many people are unaware of, but it provides support for the deceased and is becoming more and more common, especially in certain areas.

Where Can I Scatter the Remains of a Loved One?

By Smith Family • 30 Mar, 2024
Whether your loved one was a beach enthusiast or a theme park fanatic, you might be thinking about where to scatter their cremated remains to pay tribute to what they loved in their lifetime. But just like if they wanted to be buried, a lot of thought should go into your loved one’s final resting place.

What is Prolonged Grief?

By Smith Family • 22 Mar, 2024
Grief is a normal part of life. After losing a loved one, most people will experience grief in some form. That feeling can go on for a while, but as the adage goes, “Time heals all wounds.” As anyone who has ever lost someone very close to them will tell you, time may help, but it doesn’t fully heal. Years after that person’s death, you’ll still think of them, still wish they were around, but you’ll have moved on with your life. The wound will still hurt from time to time, but the feeling of grief will no longer be all-encompassing.

Is It Okay to Laugh and Smile at a Funeral?

By Smith Family • 15 Mar, 2024
It’s common to see tears shed at a funeral. What’s less common is to hear uproarious laughter. Why would someone laugh during a funeral? Well, it happens more often than you’d think. But is it okay to laugh and smile at someone’s funeral? Whether or not it’s all right to get the giggles depends on many factors.

What Do I Do With The Flowers?

By Smith Family • 08 Mar, 2024
After any funeral, there are still a lot of questions about what comes next. In addition to dealing with grief, loved ones have to take care of the deceased’s estate and their final wishes. And although sending flowers to a funeral is a kind gesture, those flowers add another thing to do for the bereaved. Flowers brighten up any funeral, but what can you do with them after the funeral is over? Here are a few options to either keep and create a memorial keepsake or donate them and make someone else’s day.

Funeral Jewelry: What is it?

By Smith Family • 01 Mar, 2024
When you lose a loved one, it’s hard to go back to everyday life. Things don’t feel normal. It can be hard to come to terms with them not being around, not just for the big moments but for the little things. You miss picking up the phone and hearing them at the other end. You miss how their famous dishes smelled or how they used to laugh so hard at their favorite movie. You miss them just being around.
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