What happens now? Victim Services offers advice on first steps following a death

WELLINGTON COUNTY – If you’ve never experienced a death, where do you start?

Victim Services Guelph Wellington executive director Liz Kent posed the question in speaking with the Advertiser. 

It’s a rhetorical one. She knows the answers, but said many don’t.

Victim Services provides support to victims of crime and emergencies, such as sudden deaths, helped by a roster of 60 volunteers.

“We all fear the unknown,” Kent said, but “education is power.”

“Police are usually called any time there is a death at a residence, unless there’s a medical condition known,” Kent said.

Police will contact the coroner when someone dies unexpectedly.

Coroners become involved in all deaths involving children aged five and under, death involving violence, suicide and any unusual or unnatural deaths.

Depending on the circumstances of the death, a coroner may arrange for body removal, Kent said. A coroner can order an autopsy/post-mortem to determine the cause of death.

Otherwise, once a loved one has been declared dead and legal documentation obtained, transportation services can be arranged to remove the body.

The Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO) recommends:

– considering recommendations from family or friends;

– talking with more than one provider about services offered; 

– ensuring you are confident a provider understands and will meet your needs; 

– asking providers for a price list; and 

– reviewing a copy of a cemetery’s bylaws.

The first line of support often comes from an area funeral home, Kent said.

“Funeral homes have a ton of information, they have a ton of support,” Kent said, adding a funeral home will “often be the most valuable resource.”

Kent said reaching out to family or spiritual leaders as soon as possible for help, or known neighbours if nobody else is close, can help alleviate the burden of navigating a sudden death alone.

Depending on how a person died, surviving family members may need biohazard cleaning services.

Homeowners may have to open an insurance claim or hire a private company, Kent said. In rentals, the responsibility falls to the landlord, according to Kent.

The province’s Victim Quick Response Program may cover the cost of cleanup and funerals in limited circumstances.

Financial assistance

There may be financial assistance to help cover costly funeral arrangements through Wellington County’s social services department for Guelph and county residents without enough money in their estate to cover the cost of a basic funeral, burial and/or cremation (for more information see article on page 23).

For those who paid into the Canada Pension Plan, a maximum one-time “death benefit” of $5,000 could be available.

Others may have a life insurance policy or survivors’ benefits.

“I’ve had a few people who didn’t know that there was a life insurance policy for a number of months afterwards, because they didn’t have a will,” Kent said.

She added she’s often shocked to learn how many people don’t have a will.

“When people don’t have that, it just adds to the grief,” she said. “I can’t tell you how much more stress it adds onto loved ones.”

According to the BAO, the affairs of those without a valid will designating an estate trustee (also known as an executor) are delegated to a court-appointed estate administrator or the deceased’s next of kin.

Dealing with grief

Kent said Victim Services refers to Hospice Wellington’s grief and bereavement programming, the Nightingale Centre for children and youth bereavement, and for situations involving suicide, “Here4Hope” through the Canadian Mental Health Association.

“I think people need to realize that everybody grieves differently and that it’s okay,” Kent said.

“You don’t heal overnight, it takes time.”