Duties After death

After someone passes away, there are several important steps that need to be taken. These steps vary depending on whether the death was expected (like from a long illness) or unexpected (like from an accident). This article will walk you through what typically happens after someone dies and what needs to be done by family members and officials.

There are two main types of deaths: expected and unexpected. Expected deaths usually happen when someone is very sick and their doctors know they will pass away soon. Often, these people are on hospice at home. When they pass away in these situations, their family doesn't have to call 911. They can simply call the person's doctor or hospice nurse, who will confirm the death and fill out the official death certificate.

When someone dies unexpectedly, you must call emergency services right away. Unexpected deaths include things like accidents, when someone takes their own life, and when someone is killed. In these situations, call 911 immediately.

Alaska has one main office that investigates how people died: the Medical Examiner's office. I's in Anchorage. Specially trained personnel there figure out why and how someone died. They do special exams called autopsies when needed. Since Alaska is so big and many towns are far from Anchorage, the office also works with local care providers in small communities to help investigate deaths.

The medical examiner's office must be called for certain situations when someone dies. These include when someone dies naturally but wasn't under a doctor's care, when someone dies within a day of going to the hospital, when someone dies from an accident or injury, when someone might have been killed or taken their own life, when someone dies while in jail, or when someone dies during medical treatment.

After looking at the case, the medical examiner decides if they need to do an autopsy (a special exam of the body to find out how someone died). They think about things like how the person died, what health problems they had, and if anything seems suspicious. They don't need to do autopsies for every death. If someone died naturally from a health problem their doctor knew about, the medical examiner might let the funeral home take the body right away.

The family needs to pick a funeral home. The funeral home helps with many important things: they move the body, file the death certificate, and get the body ready for burial or cremation. They also help families fill out all the needed papers and can help write the obituary (the notice in the newspaper about someone's death) and plan the funeral service.

In remote communities, dealing with a death can be harder because of logistics. Sometimes families must wait for better weather before they can move their loved one's body for a funeral or a medical exam. Because of these challenges, many people in Alaska plan ahead for their funeral and tell their families exactly what they want done after they die.

The death certificate is a very important legal paper that must be filed within three days after someone dies. Usually, the funeral director takes care of this by working with the person's doctor or the medical examiner to fill it out correctly. The certificate includes important facts like what caused the death, how the person died, and basic information about the person who died, like their age and address.

Alaska has special laws about what happens to someone's body after they die. People can choose how they want their bodies disposed of, including burial or cremation. If someone doesn't leave written instructions, the law says who gets to make these choices. Usually, the person's husband or wife gets to decide first. If there's no spouse, other family members can decide, following a specific order set by law.

Planning for death can make things easier for your family. While it's hard to talk about death, knowing what will happen and what choices to make can help reduce stress. It's a good idea to tell your family what you want and write down your wishes. This way, they won't have to guess what you would have wanted during an already tough time.

Christian M. Hartley is a 40-year Alaskan resident with over 25 years of public safety experience and public service. He runs a freelance business, Big Lake Writer, from home in Big Lake that he shares with his wife of 19 years and their three teenage sons.