FAQs

Funeral FAQs

1

What should I do when a death occurs?

If you are present when a death occurs at home, the first thing you need to do is call your loved one's doctor.

Who will produce a medical death certificate? In some cases you may need to call the police before the funeral director can take the deceased into care. Advise the attending doctor if your loved one is an organ donor. If your loved one dies in a medical facility they will take care of the medical formalities. Contact your chosen funeral home. If you haven't made a decision on this, our caring staff at Wauchope & District Funerals & Cremation Services is happy to organise the transportation of the deceased into our care. It doesn't matter what time of the day or night, we're available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. If the death occurs in hospital, it is the duty of the family to contact the funeral home, while hospital staff will attend to the medical formalities.

2

Who do I need to notify about the death?

Naturally you can inform family and friends immediately, but there are government departments and others that do need to be informed. If you are not up to the task, the executor of the estate can attend to notifying the essential third parties such as Centrelink, superannuation, banks and credit card providers, employer, insurance providers, Medicare and ATO just to name a few.

3

What happens if the death occurs interstate or abroad?

We will coordinate the return of the deceased to their home state or Australia. We can also organise the return of the deceased to the departed's country of origin by request. We can also facilitate overseas funerals.

4

How long should I wait between the death and the funeral?

This will be dependant on a variety of factors such as cultural requirements and the specific circumstances of the death. There's no need to feel pressured into organising the funeral immediately. You are welcome to give overseas family and friends time to make the journey to Australia.

5

Should I organise a viewing?

Only you can decide if a viewing is something you'd like us to organise for you. For some seeing the body can provide closure and allow for privacy for personal goodbyes, while others may prefer to remember the deceased the way they were.

6

Does the deceased need to be embalmed?

Embalming is not required by law unless the body needs to be transported interstate or abroad.

Share by: