What To Do

  • When a loved one dies at home, and they have been under medical treatment during the last three months, you should contact the doctor concerned. Please confirm with your doctor if you need to have an ambulance service issue a declaration of death. You may also wish to call your minister. Once the doctor has been informed, you may call your funeral director to collect the deceased from the place of death.

  • If the death is due to unnatural causes, or was not expected, the police have to be called to the scene. If they are of the opinion that the death is due to other than natural causes, arrangements will be made by them to transport the deceased to the nearest State Mortuary. The deceased would need to be formally identified at the mortuary prior to the release of the deceased to a funeral director. Anyone who knew the deceased can do the identification, so long as they are in possession of the deceased’s ID book, as well as their own. Collinge & Co. will make arrangements to take the person doing the ID to the state mortuary to assist them during this time.

  • Speak to your funeral director regarding the funeral arrangements. Our suggestion is that you allow a short period time to pass between the time of death, and arranging the funeral. We have found that doing the funeral arrangements with a few hours of the death is detrimental to the family, as a person’s mental state is not one that will allow decisions to be made coherently, leaving the family more susceptible to coercion. Please remember that our staff is available at any time of the day or night. The family will find that they will get peace of mind once the funeral director has become involved.