What To Do If Death Occurs At A Nursing Home or Assisted Living Facility

If death occurs at a nursing home or assisted living facility, the staff at the care facility will contact you to notify you of the death. Your first call should be to a funeral home to coordinate the removal of the body and the completion of the death certificate.

Working with a funeral director to complete the death certificate

The staff at the care facility will likely be able to begin the process of issuing a death certificate, though you will need a licensed funeral director to complete the death certificate and remove the body from the care facility.

Removing the body from the residence

Legally, most assisted living or convalescent care facilities must remove the body from their premises immediately. This means that you will need to engage the services of a funeral director very quickly.

To find a funeral home, use our resource Guide: Finding a Funeral Home.

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Jargon Decoder

Probate

The process when the court verifies the legality of the will and confirms the executor for the estate. It’s about as exciting as it sounds, and can take months or years, but once it’s done you can get down to business.