If you have an ill family member, you may have the fortune of spending this person's final hours with him or her. While this is sure to be a difficult time, you'll need to begin thinking of the funeral arrangements soon after your loved one passes. If he or she expressed a desire to be cremated and you've already dealt with a local crematorium, you'll need to be in contact with the crematorium director promptly. At a time that you're in grief, it can be difficult to focus on the tasks that need to be completed, so keep these tips in mind.

You Don't Have to Call—But a Call Needs to Happen

If your loved one passes in the middle of the night, you might feel resistant to calling the crematorium—after all, no one wants to wake someone else with a phone call. However, doing so is necessary to get the process started, as someone from the crematorium will soon need to visit your location to pick up your deceased loved one's body. If you find that you're in too much grief or nervous about making the phone call, you can have a nurse at the hospital (provided that you're at one) make this call for you. This isn't a big request; nurses make these calls regularly.

You Should Try to Determine a Pickup Time

Different hospitals have different policies on how long you can remain with your deceased loved one in the hospital room. Busy hospitals may move the body to the in-hospital morgue promptly, while a hospital that has many vacant rooms won't rush you to leave. Decide how long you wish to stay with the body. Some people want to remain with the body for a long time, while others can say their final goodbyes in a couple minutes and be ready to leave. Share this information with the crematorium representative, as you don't want someone on the scene in 45 minutes if you wish to spend a couple hours with the body.

Discuss Timelines

Some families wish to be present for the cremation, while others do not. If you're in the former group, you'll want to confer with someone from the crematorium to determine when the process will take place. Generally, a cremation won't take place immediately, but you will want to make it clear that you wish to be in attendance. Otherwise, you should get an estimate as to when the cremation will occur so that you'll have an idea as to when you can visit the crematorium to pick up the remains. This is especially important if you wish to have an urn with the remains present at the funeral service.

to learn more about cremation services, contact companies like Neptune  Society.

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