What is a death call or a first call to a funeral home/ mortuary? What questions are asked during that phone call? Funeral director Kari Northey explains what this term means. www.karinorthey.com kari@karinorthey.com
I recall making the death call for my brother 18 years ago. I was not in a good place emotionally, but the funeral home answered immediately and was so understanding and patient with me. I still remember his kind and calming words like it was yesterday. For that, I was very grateful.
Kevin I am thankful you had a POSITIVE experience in placing the 'death call' for your brother. I can only imagine all the emotions you were surely feeling. Bless you, dear. 😌
This is very interesting. Hospices actually called for us when grandma passed from cancer. They took care of her body before the funeral director came and took her away. All of the family was able to see her before she was creamated. The funeral home was so nice and caring. We actually ended up taking over the home since my grandma was well known. I know you have a thankless job but thank you for everything you do.
When i was in the 10 grade and just started hosting at night at the funeral home we got lots of prank calls like people calling and asking to speak to the deceased person as their wake is going on. Well this particular night i answer and i hear " Hi this is John with PMS". I said excuse me? Can your repeat and he says again "This is John with PMS" . Im thinking ok a man has PMS...... Prank. So he goes on and asks for Paul who was the Embalmer on call. I said i can give him a call and have him contact you if you like John. He says sure please let him no this is John with Professional Mortuary Services! Just a little humor i thought you may like.
Aunt Josie HaHa!!!!!!!! I would love to know more about your experience hosting @ funeral home during your sophomore year of high school, please!!!!*** 😌 ***Not sure how to let u know how to message me PRIVATELY...???? 🤔
This is basic, yet important information that ALL adults should know. I get that it's a situation that nobody wants to have to deal with or even imagine happening, but it is reality. Things go a lot smoother when we know what do to in these worst case scenarios. It's especially difficult to have to figure this all out from scratch when one is stricken with overwhelming panic and grief when a loved one has just passed.
When our son passed the Sheriff's Deputy asked who we going to call. It was hard to keep composure so she said she would take care of the call. The Deputy stayed until they came and got him, but before she left, she asked if she could do anything else. Hamilton County Sheriff's Office (Tennessee) has some fantastic people working for them!
I did removal for three years. Wether it was at a nursing home or coroner you don’t know what the body’s condition is. On a removal my partner didn’t lock down the cot. Going back to the funeral home the cot shifted and broke the rear van window. It scared 😱 the hell out of me. What if the rear door would have open? Omg 😲 a body rolling down the interstate. Luckily my boss didn’t charge me for the window. He said it was an accident. In my career on a removal we dropped a body. Thank God it was in the funeral home refer unit. Luckily he was a direct cremation. The true meaning of dead weight. It took three of us to get him up on the shelf.
Thank you for your service in caring for the deceased. It's something not everyone can handle and I imagine it has a high burnout rate as well as compassion fatigue.
Oh wow! I can’t even imagine if that body rolled down the highway. I would be traumatized for life. I hit a big dead dog on the highway after someone else had already hit it. It was years ago but I was traumatized for a long time over that because I am such an animal lover. That incident you talked about could have turned out much worse though.Whew! I I thank God it didn’t.
Interesting and very informative. When my sister died of cancer she was under hospice care and was in a coma for about 48 hours. When she finally drew her last breath at 12:49 AM, hospice immediately called her doctor and left a message saying that Judy Wendorf passed away. She then said to us that if we were all ready, which of course we were, she would notify Daniel Olsen (Funeral Director). Hospice then cleaned up her body while we were in another room and at about 2:30 AM, Dan showed up to take her away. It was a cold, frigid night in January of 2003 and Judy passed away one day before her 65th birthday.
My daughter died at home,it was important for me to watch over her,because I was her Mother,I let my daughter call the funeral home,It is very traumatic. dealing with all the details but you have to do it.....Rest Easy Jazanae 🦋🕊🦋🕊
Good morning Kari 🌞 been part of a few of these as the informant.....I give you guys credit... several of mine were late at night as in 2 or 3 am so you really never know when the call comes....also it helps to have a family member or individual who is somewhat composed handle this call to you so it makes your job much easier and less stressful....also gang remember after your loved one has passed you can spend some time with them in quiet peace..we had dad home for several hours...when we were ready I made the call...please pre plan gang so as in my case that first call will be all....thanks Kari and a blessed holy week and Easter to you and your family 😀
@@KaritheMortician yup....dad's was a peaceful natural passing....it was so quiet when his soul left his body but he looked so at peace...I allowed all the siblings to spend private time with him to say goodbye and pray for him...we hugged him and held him and loved him all the more... those 2 hrs with Dad brought us invaluable physical and psychological aid in the grieving and closure process... priceless time spent as a family with him...he was on this Earth 89 yrs so what's the rush😀😀😀
I called when my husband died. He was on Hospice. I asked for if I could wash and dress him and they told me to call when I was ready for them to take him. It was lovely to spend that time with him. The drivers were so kind. I asked them not to cover his face as they wheeled him out. I could not have wished for a better goodbye.
In Virginia, unless the person is in hospice or in the hospital. You HAVE TO CALL the police as they have to make sure that it was not a murder or suicide. I was told this by the York County Sheriff's department.
Hi Kari! As always, thank you for your informing videos! I always learn something that I didn’t learn before. I love that you not only care for the deceased, but their loved ones as well. You have such a compassionate heart. 💜❤️
Oh how I remember the days before cell phones where we had a pager and either night attendants (college students who slept there) or a answering service to take the first phone call. House calls were always made by 2 persons, normally one of the owners and me, and hospital or rest homes or coroner calls was just me.
Kari in 1981 when my grandfather passed away at his home we lived on a rural dirt road 2 or 3 miles off the main hwy WITH NO ROAD NAME! Imagine no gps, no road name just go down to Carbon black plant take the next road on the right, go down to the first left which is a gravel road, go to the y and bare right then take the next left and drive to dead end.
In cases like this we would always request that there would be someone to lead us in rather it be a family member or law enforcement or the coroner. These calls of course would most of the time come at 3am or in the middle of a service we were conducting at the time.
THIS is one of the most crucial videos! Being a nurse I was very familiar with in facility policies. When my mother passed at home under a dr care and it was an expected death so I pretty much followed our procedure, ie calling dr etc. So when I became a Deputy Coroner one of the first things I spoke with the Coroner about was making up brochures for the general public to at least begin to know what needed to be done as far as who to call etc. Please keep up the great work on your videos! They are FANTASTIC! ❤️🙏🏼👍🏼🦋
I have had to make the first call a few times. Worst was when it was my own mom. Thankfully I already knew who to call and they already somewhat knew me. I am forever thankful for the kindness and caring that I received in such a tough time.
I work as a charge nurse in a nursing home. I give the funeral home a heads up. I call family first to find out if anyone will be coming. When family indicates they are ready, then call funeral home back. Order to release remains from medical director after family notified. In my state, Nurse reports absence of vitals if DNR and order obtained.
A friend of mines grandma passed away in December and I was there when the funeral home came and took her body. This was the first time I ever witnessed that aspect, normally I leave before the funeral home gets there but this time I stayed. They were so kind when they got to the house, they took care of her body answered every question the family had and covered her up out of respect. I always wondered since that day how you can do that type of job, going into peoples homes when their loved one passes, how do you not let it get to you?? I would make a terrible Paramedic or Mortician because I wouldn't be able to let it go at the end of the day. It must take a super human to do your type of work.
Crazy me and my gma just had this convo yesterday ..I ask her do the funeral home come right away after a death call if it was a natural death..so now ik you have to call 911 first..everyday I'm talking about death and funeral stuff❤❤
Getting lost,when looking for a home or business fines me anxiety and I work for a Food Bank. I wish there was a law that reads: House. Numbers need to be in a Contrasting color and 12”x8” minimum and visible. Make sense?! 💁🏽♂️🤜🏽🤛🏼
That's a lot of info you ask. When my mother died in the hospital, I called the funeral home and they just came and got her. They asked me nothing. I left just before they got there because I didn't want to see her being put in a body bag. So, if they asked any questions they must've asked the hospital staff.
Not sure if this is a dumb question... but you said to call 911. If someone comes home and finds a dead family member... they’re cold, doesn’t seem like a murder or anything... why 911? They’re already dead, wouldn’t the person call the non emergency line?
I don’t necessarily get that part either, but my guess is that it speeds up the process, to get the ball rolling a little faster, to get the deceased to wherever they’re going. A lot of it probably depends on the medical history of the deceased, and whether or not they were under a doctor’s care. It probably depends on the age of the patient as well. A situation that you would call police is probably a case where there isn’t a previous medical history, or not a recent medical history, and yet a death occurred.
Back in the 90's, my father worked at a funeral home and was called to help with a removal. The gentleman weighed over 600 pounds and they ended up having to call the fire department to assist. They ended up having to removed the front window since the deceased wouldn't fit through the door.
It takes very special people to help take care of the deceased in anyway ! Thank you to all of you who help us through the process of losing a loved one and helping us clean up !
@@KaritheMortician Thank you, I'm a little nervous. I'm afraid to go into someone's home if I'm by myself. I don't want to be accused of stealing. Of course I want everything to go the right way for the family and the deceased
As a first responder, I have seen the deceased place themselves in some of the darnest places to get them out of. Like a dying animal will literally hide itself from discovery.
When my grandma died at home (in Michigan) we were told by the dispatcher that it was a law that the police had to stay with the body until the funeral home got there. We live in a very small town and the police knew us and my grandma so he did not stay any longer than a few minutes to give his condolences. I know you are in Michigan, is it, in fact, a law?
After a nasty mistake made previously, always make sure at a nursing home that you have the right person or that the person being removed is in fact dead. This lead the funeral director saying to us "make sure you pick up the dead one" on such calls. 😎
If if the hospice can they resisted the patient to the corners office when they cut off and the person die the car ain't going to come he's going to say release the body to the funeral home
Good old city and country maps. We have nav's in all of our vehicles but most of the time we do not need them for local first calls. They do come in handy went traveling to unknown local's. Happy Easter..............J
@@jrw5831 it helps to have maps. I’ve been in situations where the GPS satellite couldn’t find me, for instance, roads that are tree covered. I’m not in the funeral business, but I drive for a living (in this job, I’m on the other side of the coin, hoping to slow down the process, by taking people to/from medical appointments, hospitals, etc.-I do non-emergency medical transportation.)
Really dumb question but someone who claimed to be an embalmer claimed that some organ donation companies pick up bodies hours after death, take organs and charges fees even though they aren’t usable. Seems like that doesn’t happen but scary idea when I’m an organ donar
Here is the full statement: I’m a career embalmer and funeral director and I firmly say no to organ donation unless someone is actually on life support and organs are harvested in a surgical suite. I’ve seen too many families conned by unscrupulous donation organizations and talked into signing consent form that by donating their deceased loved one’s organs and allowing their people to pick them up from the funeral home and transport them 3-5 hours away to their donation facility or allowing them even to harvest at the funeral home (sometimes 8-10 HOURS PLUS LATER....that their “gift of love” would SAVE LIVES. And folks THAT IS NOT TRUE. Within a very VERY short time after death and especially 3-5 hours plus later there IS NOT one life saving organ they can harvest that will be viable for live human transplant. Those organs they get “paid for harvesting” and are given to labs and schools AKA sold.
Thank you for the reply. I’d be interested to see a video about how you embalm those cases or even someone with a post mortem. I’ve heard things like pvc pipes used to replace bones plastic suits etc. Fascinating what you guys do and so few people talk about it.
Interesting if the body is being moved by the corner do you still need to do a 911 call or can the deceased go directly to the funeral home. Very good video
I’ve seen a couple of times, just in the last week alone where the medical examiner’s office was picking up a deceased person from a funeral home, so my guess is that the police call a funeral home, and then the medical examiner, picks up the deceased from there (our local medical examiner does at least 3 counties in our state.)
The family will normally be asked for the name of the Mortuary that they want to use in this case and might have a signed release form to the mortuary they choose then the hospital will make the call.
Wish you would do a vlog on the Driver's license and endorsements required for doing Mortuary transport! Think the state of Mississippi requires a Class D commercial license with a Chauffeur's endorsement!
