When a loved one passes away at home, that first phone call can feel like an impossible task. The shock and grief are overwhelming, and the immediate question of "who do I call?" adds another layer of stress. As a funeral director with over 20 years of experience, I’ve dedicated my career to helping Texas families navigate these exact moments. The answer hinges entirely on the circumstances of the passing.
If the death was unexpected, your first and legally required call is to 911. However, if the death was expected and your loved one was under hospice care, your first call should be to the hospice nurse.
Your First Call When a Loved One Dies at Home
In my 20 years of service, I've seen how having a clear first step brings a small sense of order to an otherwise chaotic situation. This is especially true when a death happens at home—a place of comfort that is suddenly transformed by loss.
The desire to pass away in familiar surroundings is deeply human. Most people express a wish to die at home. Despite this, the reality is often different, with many end-of-life journeys concluding in hospitals. This disconnect just goes to show how vital it is to understand the proper procedures when a death does occur at home, ensuring a loved one's final moments are handled with the dignity they deserve.
This visual guide breaks down the immediate first steps, depending on the situation.
Ultimately, that first call sets the legal and medical processes in motion. It's what distinguishes a medical emergency from a planned, peaceful passing.
To make this crystal clear, here’s a quick-reference table.
Immediate Contact Protocol: Who to Call First
| Situation | Primary Contact | Their Role |
|---|---|---|
| Unexpected Death at home (no hospice) | 911 | To dispatch emergency responders who will confirm the death and initiate the legal pronouncement process. |
| Expected Death at home (under hospice) | Hospice Nurse | To officially pronounce the death, complete initial paperwork, and coordinate with the funeral provider. |
Knowing which number to dial ensures everything is handled correctly from the very start.
If the Death Was Unexpected
An unexpected death—meaning there was no terminal diagnosis or active hospice care—is legally treated as a medical emergency. Calling 911 isn't just a suggestion; in Texas, it’s a requirement.
When first responders arrive, their primary duty is to assess the situation. They will confirm the death and rule out any unnatural causes. This may involve the police and, depending on the county, a justice of the peace or a medical examiner who will officially pronounce the death.
It can be jarring to have officials in your home during such a personal time, but please know they are trained to handle these situations with professionalism and respect.
If the Death Was Expected
The protocol is completely different when a loved one passes while under the care of a hospice agency. An expected death is not a 911 emergency.
Instead, your first call should be to the on-call hospice nurse. They will come to the home to officially pronounce the death, document the time, and complete the necessary initial paperwork. The hospice team is an incredible source of support, guiding you through these first few hours and helping coordinate with the funeral home you’ve chosen.
In those first few moments, clarity is a form of comfort. Understanding this distinction between an expected and unexpected death is the single most important piece of knowledge you can have. It ensures you take the right first step, honoring both legal requirements and your loved one.
Once these initial, critical calls are made, there are other important responsibilities to attend to. For a more detailed guide on what comes next, you can review our checklist of steps to take immediately after a death.
Navigating Expected vs. Unexpected Death Scenarios
Over my two decades serving families, I've seen firsthand how the moments after a loved one passes away at home can be confusing and overwhelming. The single most important factor that determines your next steps is whether the death was expected or unexpected.
Getting this right isn't just a suggestion—it's a matter of legal procedure. Understanding the distinction ahead of time can bring a sense of clarity when you need it most.
An expected death is one where a person is under a doctor's care or in hospice for a terminal condition. There's usually a plan in place because the family has already had those brave, difficult conversations. In these moments, the hospice nurse is your first call, not 911.
On the other hand, an unexpected death is sudden, with no terminal diagnosis leading up to it. This scenario legally requires the involvement of emergency services to determine the cause and ensure no unnatural circumstances were involved.
When a Death Is Expected
If your loved one was receiving hospice care, your first call should be to the hospice agency's on-call nurse. This is the professional who will come to the home, make the official pronouncement of death, and handle the initial paperwork.
They are an incredible source of both practical guidance and emotional support in those first few hours.
A crucial piece of paper in this situation is the Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order. This is a medical directive that tells healthcare providers not to perform CPR. It's vital to have this document clearly visible—maybe on the refrigerator or a bedside table—to prevent any confusion when help arrives. The legal aspects of end-of-life decisions can get complex, and having these documents in order provides peace of mind for everyone.
When a Death Is Unexpected
When a death happens suddenly and the person wasn't under a doctor's recent care, your first and only call should be to 911.
Emergency responders are legally required to come to the home. Their job isn't to be intrusive; they have a duty to perform. They will confirm the passing and, because the cause of death is unknown, they will contact the local authorities.
Here in Texas, this means a Justice of the Peace or a Medical Examiner will be dispatched to the location. They are responsible for investigating the circumstances of the death to make an official ruling for the death certificate. This step is mandatory before any funeral home, including ours at Cremation.Green, is legally permitted to take your loved one into our care.
If you're unsure about the roles these officials play, we have a simple guide explaining the difference between a medical examiner and a coroner that might be helpful.
Knowing whether you're on the "expected" or "unexpected" path removes the guesswork. It empowers you to act with confidence during a time when making any decision can feel impossible.
What to Expect in the Hours After the First Call
After you've made that first, incredibly difficult phone call, the world can feel like it's spinning in slow motion. You’ve navigated the hardest part, but now a process you've likely never been through begins to unfold. In my two decades of guiding families, I’ve seen how much comfort comes from simply knowing what’s coming next. My goal here is to demystify those next few hours, so you don't have to face the unknown.
Whether it's a hospice nurse, first responders, or a medical examiner on their way, you can take a moment for yourself. These are professionals, trained to handle their responsibilities with complete dignity and respect for your loved one and your home.
The Official Pronouncement of Death
Before any funeral provider can bring your loved one into our care, a legal pronouncement of death has to happen. This is the official declaration by someone authorized—like a hospice nurse, a Justice of the Peace, or a medical examiner—that life has ended.
This isn't just a formality; it's a crucial legal step. It's the action that kicks off the death certificate process and gives us, as your chosen funeral home, the legal authority to act on your behalf. There's nothing you need to do during this time but give the officials space to do their work. They will handle the necessary documentation and notify the right agencies.
Gathering Important Information
While you wait, you can take a few quiet moments to gather some information that will be needed for the death certificate. It’s a small, manageable task that can give you a sense of purpose when you might otherwise feel adrift.
You’ll want to look for a few basic details about your loved one:
- Full legal name, including any aliases
- Date and place of birth (city, state, and country)
- Social Security number
- Parents' full names, including maiden names
- Veteran's discharge papers (DD-214), if this applies
Don't panic if you can't find everything right away. My team and I can absolutely help you track this information down later. Having it ready just helps make the arrangement process that much smoother down the line.
The hours immediately following a death are not about making big decisions. They are about allowing the proper legal and medical steps to unfold while you simply focus on being present with your family.
Once the pronouncement is officially made and we get the green light, our team can come to your home. Until then, your loved one can remain peacefully where they are. We have a helpful article that explains how long a body can stay in a morgue and at home, which might offer some additional peace of mind about the timeline.
Contacting a Funeral Home to Arrange Care
Once the hospice nurse or medical examiner has given you permission, your very next call is to a funeral director. After more than 20 years in this field, I’ve seen this as the moment a family can finally take a breath. It’s the point where a trusted professional steps in to start lifting the logistical weight off your shoulders.
You can make this call as soon as you have that clearance. You really don't need to have every detail figured out. All a funeral director needs to know right away is where your loved one is and the name of the doctor, nurse, or examiner who gave you the go-ahead.
Choosing the Right Partner in a Difficult Time
That first conversation with a funeral home is about so much more than just logistics; it’s about finding a sense of trust. You are inviting someone into one of your family’s most raw and vulnerable moments, and it's absolutely essential that you feel supported, respected, and truly heard.
A compassionate director will never, ever rush you into making decisions. They should answer your questions with total transparency, especially when it comes to costs and what the process looks like. This is something we've made the cornerstone of our philosophy at Cremation.Green. Families have made us one of Texas’s highest-rated funeral homes because they trust us to manage every detail with the utmost care, starting right from this first call.
Your only job in this moment is to find a funeral director who gives you a sense of calm and confidence. This is not a decision to be made based on proximity alone; it’s about the quality of care and the integrity of the people you’re entrusting with your loved one.
If you’re not sure where to even start, our guide on how to choose a funeral home offers some practical advice for making this important decision.
What Happens After the Call
When you call us, my team and I will give you a clear and accurate timeframe for when we'll arrive. We will then come to your home to bring your loved one into our care with the dignity and reverence they deserve.
One of the things that sets Cremation.Green apart—and something I am personally very proud of—is that we operate our own private, state-of-the-art crematory. This is not the industry standard; many providers outsource this critical step to third parties.
By having our own luxury crematory, we can give you our absolute assurance that your loved one never leaves our direct care. From the moment we arrive at your home to the moment we return their ashes to you, they are sheltered under our roof and attended by our own compassionate staff. It’s a level of accountability and peace of mind we believe every family deserves. While we are known for our environmentally conscious options like water cremation, our first commitment is always to providing this secure, dignified care for every family we serve.
Notifying Loved Ones and Securing Personal Affairs
Once you’ve dealt with the immediate calls to medical and legal professionals, your focus will naturally turn inward, toward more personal matters. From my experience, this is often the most emotionally draining part of the entire process.
Sharing the news with family and friends while also trying to get a handle on your loved one’s personal affairs is a heavy weight to bear.
There's no single "right way" to start making these calls, but my best advice is simple: don't do it alone. Ask a sibling, a close cousin, or a trusted friend to sit with you and help. Just having someone there to share the burden of delivering such difficult news can save your emotional energy for the challenging days ahead.
A Gentle Checklist for the Next Steps
As you start to process everything, a few practical tasks are going to need your attention. This isn't about rushing. It's about taking small, manageable actions to make sure your loved one's wishes and property are protected.
Here’s a simple checklist to help keep you grounded:
- Locate Important Documents: Start looking for a will, trust, or any funeral plans they may have pre-arranged. These documents are your roadmap. They will name the executor—the person legally authorized to make decisions.
- Secure the Home: Make sure all the doors and windows are locked. If there are any valuables, put them somewhere safe. If your loved one lived by themself, you might want to ask the post office to hold their mail and cancel any newspaper deliveries.
- Protect Their Identity: It's a sad reality, but identity theft that targets the deceased is a genuine risk. You can take a few immediate steps to safeguard their information. For a more detailed guide, we've created a helpful resource on the 10 ways to protect a loved one’s identity after death.
Handling Personal Property and Affairs
The thought of dealing with personal belongings can be completely overwhelming. Sorting through a lifetime of possessions is both a physical and emotional marathon. It’s so important to remember that you don't have to do it all at once.
When you're ready, you might find some useful tips for using self-storage to clear out a loved one's home, which can give you the breathing room to make thoughtful decisions without pressure.
This process is a marathon, not a sprint. Your priority is to take care of yourself and your immediate family. The administrative tasks will get done, but they don't have to be done today.
Taking care of these notifications and initial tasks is all part of a much larger process. Every death is officially recorded, creating a legal foundation that allows families to move forward with settling personal affairs.
Common Questions After a Death at Home
After spending two decades in the funeral industry, I've noticed that most families grapple with the same handful of questions in the immediate hours after a loved one passes. The shock and grief can cloud your thinking, and I want to offer some direct answers to those concerns right now.
My hope is that having this information beforehand can provide a little bit of clarity and peace when you need it most.
What if We Cannot Find a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Order?
This is a really important one. If an expected death happens at home and you call 911, but a signed Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order can't be found right away, first responders are legally required to begin resuscitation efforts.
This is why I always tell families to keep that original DNR document somewhere obvious and easy to find. Taping it to the fridge or keeping it in a folder right on the bedside table works well. It’s also smart to give copies to any caregivers and key family members so everyone knows exactly where it is.
How Long Will It Take for the Funeral Home to Arrive?
As soon as we at Cremation.Green get the official green light from the authorities—whether that's a hospice nurse, the medical examiner, or a Justice of the Peace—our team heads out immediately. Typically, we arrive within one to two hours.
Of course, things like your specific location in Texas and the time of day can affect that. When you call, I'll always give you a straightforward, honest ETA, and my team will keep you updated. Our promise is to respond promptly and with the utmost dignity and compassion.
Do I Need to Have a Funeral Home Chosen in Advance?
While it’s not a legal requirement, having a funeral home already picked out can lift a huge weight off your shoulders. Trying to make such a big decision under that kind of emotional pressure is one of the toughest things a family can face.
If you haven't made a choice yet, that's okay. Please know you are not obligated to go with the first provider you call. You have every right to contact a few different funeral homes to ask about their services, process, and pricing before you commit to anything. Any reputable funeral director will understand and respect your need to take a moment.
Who Is Legally Authorized to Make Funeral Arrangements?
In Texas, the law outlines a very specific order of priority for who has the authority to make funeral arrangements. This is often called the right of sepulcher.
The hierarchy looks like this:
- The person named in a written document, like an Appointment of Agent form.
- The surviving spouse.
- The majority of the surviving adult children.
- The surviving parents.
This legal order continues down the family line. If you're ever unsure about who holds this authority in your family, a good funeral director can walk you through the legal hierarchy and make sure the right person is making the decisions.
Getting through these first few hours is never easy, but you don't have to figure it all out by yourself. If you have questions about our private crematory or our cremation services in Texas, please reach out to me and my team. We’re here to help.
