Who Do You Call When Someone Dies in Their Sleep?

Oct 27, 2022 | Biohazard Cleanup

When someone dies in their sleep, it can either be expected or unexpected. Either way, it’s a sad event that leaves the friends and relatives of the deceased in pain after losing a loved one. So, who do you call when someone dies in their sleep? This article will go over what you’ll need to do if you’re in this situation.

Who Do You Call?

First things first, you’ll have two choices. For instance, if the deceased was under hospice care, call the hospice, and they’ll know who to call and what to do. The hospice will arrange for a person with the appropriate authority to come, pronounce the person as dead, and help to facilitate transportation of the body.

In the event that the deceased was not under the care of a hospice, then get ready to call 911. To do that, you’ll need to be ready with some information:

  • If the deceased has an Out-of-Hospital DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order or MOLST (Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) form, Who do you call when someone dies in their sleep you’ll need to find it and have it on hand. If you don’t have either form, EMTs will arrive at the premises and attempt to resuscitate the body as long as it’s warm, regardless of whether or not the person is breathing or has a pulse.
  • Presenting the DNR to the EMTs upon arrival ascertains that the person has died and will contact the funeral home.
  • You’ll also need to have the name of the deceased person’s physician, as well as the cremation service or funeral home to be called. If you don’t know which cremation service or funeral home to use, the deceased body will be transported to the morgue and later picked by the funeral home once you’ve chosen one.
  • Even if you were present when an expected death occurred, be ready to answer questions from law enforcement as the death will be treated as “unattended,” unless a physician was present or hospice was involved. The sheriff’s deputies or police will come to investigate the death.

If the death for some reason left some sort of residues or blood, crime scene cleanup pros at Trauma Scene can handle the burden of removing such traces from a home.

How Long Can You Stay with The Body After Death?

That depends on where the death happens. If the death occurs at home, for example, you don’t have to rush to move the body immediately. This is especially important if you would like to spend a little more time with the deceased or if relatives or friends prefer to say goodbye before the body of the deceased is transported to the morgue. You may consider seeking advice on temporary after-death care from a funeral director or hospice worker.

If the death seems likely to occur in a facility such as a nursing home or hospital, it’s critical to discuss any important religious or ethnic customs or rituals with the facility early on, if possible. The idea is to give them time to plan so you can have appropriate time with the body after death.

Bottom Line

Who do you call when someone dies in their sleep? You can either contact the hospice that the deceased passed away in or contact 911. Now that you know who to call when someone dies in their sleep, it’s crucial to preplan for such untimely and unexpected events. Even with preplanning, losing a loved one can be distressing, but planning ahead keeps a sad event from becoming even more painful.