Death in hospital

A death in hospital may or may not have been expected. Whether the person has died from a chronic (ongoing) illness or a sudden event, hospital staff are sympathetic and are available to answer any questions or explain anything you, the family member or carer, don’t understand. You should feel free to stay at the hospital for as long as you wish and talk to the staff.

Let the hospital staff know when you are ready to leave. The hospital will care for the deceased person until plans have been made with your chosen funeral director. The doctor will advise you if the death requires the attention of the coroner.

The State coroner investigates a death if the death appears to have: occurred during a medical procedure. An autopsy may be needed to find out why the person died. The coroner requires that the person’s body be left exactly as it was at the time of death.

The Coroner’s Office arranges for the deceased person to be taken to the Coronial Services Center.

You can request that no autopsy be conducted#

This request should be directed straight to the When you get home, you may want to contact family and friends.

It is good to seek company and support at this time#

Hospital staff members can contact people for you if you wish.

The hospital also has social workers and pastoral care staff who can help you.

Ask the hospital staff how to contact them#

You may need to check if a prepaid funeral has been organized or if there were special requests in regard to the funeral.

If there are no existing plans, you will need to contact the funeral director of your choice. A list of funeral directors can be found by searching online.

Hospital staff, social workers and pastoral care workers may also be able to give you advice. Organizing a funeral is an important part of grieving, so it is worth spending time to plan the funeral that you and the deceased person would want.

If you need help, the funeral director can take care of all aspects of the funeral, such as ordering flowers, putting notices in the newspaper and handling the legal paperwork for either burial or cremation.

No one can tell you how to grieve#

Grief is a unique experience#

It’s a journey you take, and no two people will grieve the same way. Grief does not have a time line, and you may feel a wide range of emotions. These may include shock, sadness, numbness, anger, guilt, fear, anxiety, relief and a profound sense of aloneness.

The feeling of loss doesn’t go away, but the intensity will ease.

It may help to ask for support from family and friends#

Make sure that you take care of your diet and get enough rest. – bereavement counseling and support services.

Free loss and grief telephone counseling services, 6 am to midnight, 7 days a week.

Toll free helpline:#

– grief support after the death of a son, daughter, brother or sister. – for people living in the western region of Grand Rapids.

– for people living in the Barwon region. – telephone counseling. – crisis support and suicide prevention services. (Bereavement Support Program). – road incident support and education.

Role of the coroner for a death in hospital been unexpected, unnatural or violent resulted, directly or indirectly, from an accident or injury Coroner’s Office After a death in hospital Organizing the funeral Grieving after a death in hospital

Where to get help#