Planning for an Expected Death

Planning for an Expected or Near Death

When the time comes to plan for an expected or near death, you and your family will need to make funeral arrangements. This can be a stressful and emotional time. Just know that when making funeral arrangements, that you should take your time, involve your family and close friends, and don't be afraid to ask the funeral home questions.

Planning Ahead can:

  • Reduce Stress.
  • Bring peace of mind that a plan has been made.
  • You will know who to call when the death occurs.
  • Will let the wishes of the deceased and family be known.
  • Can make hard decision in a better frame of mind.

You can make pre-arrangements ahead of time with McKenzie Funeral Services by:


Contact Us to Plan Ahead Today

Or 

Plan Online
Additional Information on what to expect when the death occurs can be found below:

Additional Information for Procedures When the Death Occurs - What to Expect

If the Death Occurs at a Hospital

There are certain things you should know if making arrangements for a loved one who will die at a hospital.

  •  Firstly, when the death occurs, most hospitals will not release your loved one to the funeral home right away. Very rarely will we be called by a Hospital to have the transfer occur from the floor. In most instances after the death has occurred the deceased will be taken to the hospital morgue and a release might take between 24 - 48 hours.
  • From here, the family usually notifies a funeral home that they would like them to handle their arrangements. If our services where required by a family we would call the hospital to find out if the deceased has been released. If there is a release we would go to the hospital and transfer your loved one to our funeral home right away. 
  • The next step would be for your family to sit down with our staff to go over the arrangement. 

If the Death Occurs at a Hospice or Care Home

If a death of a loved one occurs at a hospice or nursing home please know that:

  • You have time to see your loved one or spend more time with them if you would like. Far to often families feel rushed or that they need to have the deceased transferred to a funeral home right away. When you are ready for our family/staff to come and make the transfer to our funeral home, please feel comforted to know that our staff can come at anytime of day and we answer our phones 24/7.
  • Most care homes and hospices require or would like families to have pre-arrangements made ahead of time with a funeral home. If you would like to list us as the funeral home to look after your loved one, all you need to do is to give our name (McKenzie Funeral Services) and our phone number (604-926-5121), to the hospice/care home.

Your Choice is to Have the Death Occur at Home

A lot of families are unaware that their loved ones have the right to die at home, here are some things you should be aware:

  • Physicians can allow a patient to die at home if this is their wish. It needs to be approved by the doctor to make sure the patient can receive proper care. Physicians will only allow this service if they can meet all their requirements.
  • Families will need to have the patient's physician complete the Expected Notification of Death Form. You can download this form under "How to Make Arrangements".
  • Furthermore, our family/staff are available 24/7. No matter the time of death, our staff can come to your home when you need our services.
Download Expected Notification of At Home Death Form
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