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Here’s an outline of what happens upon death and in the few days after death. It explores how you might be feeling and what you need to be aware of in terms of the verification of death, getting a medical certificate, as well as how to register the death. It is very difficult to predict how you…

Although you will be feeling very emotional, the person’s death must be confirmed by a doctor or health professional trained to formally verify death within two to three hours. This is called ‘verifying the death’. If the person dies at home and there is no health care professional qualified to…

Normally, the doctor providing you with a medical certificate of cause of death will also give you a ‘notice to informant’ which they will attach to the medical certificate. This tells you how to register the death. However, during the emergency period, the notice to the informant is not issued. …

Here’s a checklist of all the different steps you need to think about when organising a funeral. First steps Having to organise a funeral when you are coping with a sense of loss and bereavement can be difficult. However, there are some questions to ask yourself right at the start: Did the…

Here grief is explored, as well as how you might be feeling and the importance of looking after yourself. How to support others in the family and deal with a sudden death is also covered. Grief is a normal reaction to losing a loved one, and there is no right or wrong way to grieve. You also sh…

It is very important that you take care of yourself while grieving. A crucial way of doing this is to allow yourself to talk about the person you cared for and how you are feeling. Think about whom you feel most comfortable talking to, for example, a close friend, another family member, a faith l…

There is a temptation to avoid a member of the family or a friend who is grieving, especially if you are struggling with your own grief or you are worried you might say the wrong thing. However, we need to remember the support of those close to us is vital when coping with bereavement. The most…

You may find it very difficult to know what to say to children and young people in your family about the death of a person close to them. A child's reaction to death will vary depending on how close they were to the person, the age of the child, and whether the death was sudden or expected. What …

You may have to explain to a person with a learning disability that a family member has died and are concerned about their level of understanding and how to do this. Using storyboards and memory books may be a helpful way of communicating with a person with a learning disability about death and…

If you prefer to get support from outside the family or your family network there are a range of different organisations and charities offering bereavement information both online and in print. These include: Cruse Bereavement Care Marie Curie Macmillan Cancer Support Age UK Surrey …