Cremation & Funerals - Spry Funeral Home
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Burial Services
Contact Spry Funeral Home At the Time of Death
There
are few things in life more traumatic than the death of a family
member. The following sections will explain what to do when a death
occurs.
The staff of Spry Funeral Home began at that time to
assist you in your hour of need. The first response of our staff will be
to make the removal the place of death to our facility. At that time we
will schedule a time for you to come to the Funeral Home and discuss
the following:
Arrangement Appointment Time
Schedule date, time, and location of services
Develop the ceremonies
Select appropriate burial or cremation merchandise
Coordinate with clergy
Coordinate services with cemetery
Coordinate with military, fraternal or religious groups for ceremonial rites
Write and submit obituary notice
State Law Regarding a Death
It
is recommended that, when death occurs at home and the deceased was not
under the care of a physician or hospice, that the police should be
notified. The Code of Alabama directs that, when death may be the result
of violence, trauma, suspicious circumstances, when the deceased was in
apparent good health, or not under a doctor's care, the medical
examiner must be notified. The police, funeral director or attending
physician will do this, if necessary.
General Guidelines
Regardless
of when and where a death occurs, the family should call us as soon a
possible. At that time we will ask some specific questions, such as the
name and location of the family member who passed away, the name of the
attending physician and the name of the next of kin. We will also ask
about the type of funeral service the family is considering so that we
may begin any necessary procedures as expediently as possible. If you
are undecided on the type of service, you need not make any immediate
decisions. We will allow you adequate time to make them and provide you
with prices of various options ahead of time to assist you. Finally, we
will set up a convenient appointment time to make the actual
arrangements.
Death in a Healthcare Facility
When
a death occurs in a hospital or nursing home, there is little the
family needs to do other than to call us. The medical staff at the
health care facility will take the necessary steps to ensure that all
legal requirements are met. Although some health care facilities will
call the funeral home on behalf of the family, this is the exception
rather than the rule. To be safe, it is best that the family calls us
directly.
Anticipated Death Outside a Healthcare Facility
If
a sudden death occurs outside of a health care facility, the best
advise is to call 911 to dispatch local police to the scene. The police
will then determine the appropriate steps to take depending upon the
particular situation. In the case of a nonsuspicious death of an
apparently healthy individual, the police would call the State Medical
Examiner's office and await instructions. The Medical Examiner,
depending upon the circumstances, may require that an autopsy be
performed. If the death was suspicious in nature, then the Medical
Examiner would in all likelihood order an autopsy.
Advance Arrangements
If
the death of a family member is anticipated, it is wise to begin
thinking about the final arrangements in advance. We frequently meet
with the family prior to the death to begin the process of gathering the
needed information and discussing the services. In this way, the family
is not overwhelmed with making numerous important decisions at the time
of death. To the begin the arrangement process, just give us a call.
