Immediately following the death of a loved one, many decisions must be made. At this time, you may find your emotions are heightened, and for that reason, it is a good idea to ask for help in making all the decisions and arrangements.

Additionally, the SereniCare staff is available to help you 24 hours a day /7 days a week, Our trained staff is ready to assist you and you in making the best decisions possible during this time of loss.

This information is designed to assist you and your family through the process.

Before any arrangements and decisions can be made, a legal pronouncement of death must be declared. If your loved one dies inside of a medical or nursing facility like a hospital or nursing home, the Serenicare staff will handle getting this declaration processed. If your loved one dies at home, Serenicare will take them into our care and help notify the proper local authorities. Family members who die under hospice care can be declared deceased by the hospice staff. A legal declaration of death must be made before the family can proceed with making any funeral arrangements or handling any legal affairs.

Once your loved one has been declared deceased you and your family can begin the process of final arrangements. Your loved one may have set in place a pre-plan that will help in arranging many of the needed details related to Burial/cremation and any type of services. We recommend you and your family first look into those choices which may have been determined by the deceased family member. If your loved one has not made any previous type of arrangements, our staff at Serenicare are trained to help a family move respectfully through the decision process. 
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Amongst the key decisions, a family will need to decide is whether a Burial or cremation is the desired disposition. Burial provides a higher level of closure for the family and is most helpful in dealing with proper emotional closure for most family members. Cremation is often selected if cost is the first concern. 
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Next, you will want to decide on the type of service to be held. Will you hold a viewing, a personal service, religious service, Memorial, or Graveside Service? Again, each of these types of remembrances helps heal and provide proper emotional closure. 
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Arrangements include the time, date, and location of any services; what type of casket or urn your loved one would want, writing an obituary, and outlining a proper service to honor your loved one. 
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Our experience at Serenicare has shown us, that helping a family embrace a proper service critical in helping everyone deal effectively with death. Each member of your family will process grief differently. Some will move on with little effort, while others will find great help by being a part of a more extensive service. This is not a time to brush aside heartache. It’s encouraged to allow grief to surface so everyone has a chance to properly process the personal impact of a loved one's loss. 
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Finally deciding on pallbearers; clothing, flowers, specifics of the service such as who will conduct the service, provide music or speak, will all be discussed during your Serenicare family consultation. 

It’s important to note, if the deceased was active or retired military, Serenicare staff will help you contact the Veterans Administration to determine if they offer any death benefits, Color Guard, or service options.

Once you have met a Serenicare advisor, they will provide you any information or paperwork needed for a legal death certificate. They will also review a list of prepared items and arrangements to ensure all details have been discussed.  Information Required:

• Full name and address
  
• Marital status
  
• Race/Ethnicity
  
• Date and city of birth
  
• Highest level of education
  
• Father’s name, mother’s name
  
• Name of spouse
  
• Occupation and employer

Funeral directors will need important documents to complete any legal paperwork. These documents include:



• Account statements
  
• Beneficiary designations
  
• Life insurance policies
  
• Military discharge papers (Form DD 214)
  
• Social Security number

Following the death of your loved one, there are few things you need to attend to involving the deceased’s personal life. First, secure your loved one’s property. Make sure their home and vehicle are properly secure. If your loved one has a pet, make the necessary arrangements for the pet to be taken care of by family or friends.

Any mail that comes to your loved one should be forwarded to a family member that plans to handle the deceased’s estate. Any mail that piles up at a vacant home only alarms potential intruders that a home is empty. Make sure to contact the deceased’s boss and inform them of the death. If your loved one had any upcoming appointments, make contact to notify them about the death and to cancel the appointment.