Bereavement & Family Crises
148 guides
a bank will not speak with you after a death and a time-sensitive bill is due today a body donation program declines acceptance and you need an alternative plan quickly a family member dies at work or in public and investigators want a statement from you a funeral home says paperwork is missing and a service cannot proceed unless it is resolved today a funeral provider requires a same-day decision about embalming or refrigeration a funeral provider says a body must be moved today due to capacity limits a hospice provider cannot start support without paperwork being completed today a hospital asks for an advance directive or living will and you cannot locate it a hospital asks you to come in urgently to discuss end-of-life decisions for a relative a hospital or facility says belongings will be disposed of unless collected within 24 hours after a death a hospital says a dying relative will be discharged soon and you have no care plan at home a hospital says you must come in to identify a deceased relative a landlord demands immediate access to a home after a tenant dies and you are unsure what to allow a lawyer or claims company contacts you right after a death and you are unsure whether to respond a loved one dies and their workplace needs an immediate decision about what to do with their belongings a loved one’s phone is locked after they die and you need to contact people who do not have your number a person dies while separated from their partner and both sides of the family are escalating conflict a relative is in hospice and you are unsure what to do when death seems near a surviving spouse with dementia has not been told that their partner has died and is expecting them home a venue requires one decision-maker for a service but multiple relatives are issuing instructions an after-school program says pickup permissions must be updated immediately after a parent dies an official asks you to provide next-of-kin contact details and you are not sure who qualifies family members are giving doctors conflicting instructions during an end-of-life situation family members disagree about where ashes should go and decisions are being pushed quickly family members start removing items from a home after a death and you feel it is too soon officials contact you because a person who died was involved in a legal case and they need family input quickly people start arriving at your home after a death and you need boundaries and support immediately police contact you about a death and you are not sure what information to share relatives arrive to stay with you right after a death and tensions start rising siblings are reacting very differently after a death and support is needed immediately someone claims to be the partner of a person who died and starts requesting access to plans someone posts online about a death in your family before the immediate family has been told the person listed as a medical contact cannot be reached while decisions are being discussed there is a dispute risk over valuables in a home after a death there is disagreement about funeral arrangements and the deadline is close there is no confirmed cause of death yet and people are pressing you for answers two relatives both claim legal authority to make decisions after a death you are asked about organ and tissue donation and you feel unprepared to decide you are asked for personal details to register a death and you do not have them you are asked to approve a public death notice and you are worried it will cause conflict you are asked to approve wording for a headstone or marker and family members disagree you are asked to arrange a funeral but you cannot locate a will or instructions you are asked to authorise cremation but you are not sure you have the legal right to do so you are asked to choose between burial and cremation with little time to decide you are asked to choose personal items to accompany burial or cremation and you feel overwhelmed you are asked to clear a shared home after someone dies but you are worried about losing evidence of what was there you are asked to collect a child because their parent has died and the other caregiver is unreachable you are asked to collect belongings of a person who died from a hospital or facility you are asked to confirm who has medical decision-making authority for a critically ill relative you are asked to coordinate a rapid handover from hospital to hospice and information is missing you are asked to decide about donating a loved one’s body to medical science with little time you are asked to decide about moving a relative to comfort-focused care and you feel unprepared you are asked to decide whether young children should attend a viewing and you are unsure you are asked to decide who should be told first within a large family and there is disagreement you are asked to handle the phone and accounts of a person who died right away you are asked to hold a service in a home or venue and the owner objects at the last minute you are asked to identify personal items for return but you are unsure what belongs to whom you are asked to make medical decisions for a dying relative and there is no clear directive you are asked to manage a memorial page online and strangers start posting unwanted content you are asked to notify a school community about a death and you fear backlash or blame you are asked to pay a funeral home deposit immediately and you are unsure what is normal you are asked to plan a service across two families who do not get along you are asked to provide a DNA sample to help identify a person who died you are asked to provide a photo and short life summary for a service on a tight deadline you are asked to return medical equipment or medications from the home soon after someone dies you are asked to sign paperwork related to a death and you do not understand it you are asked to speak at a service but you feel unable to do it you are asked to verify identity for official processes and you cannot find the right documents you are asked to write an obituary or public notice and you are not ready you are contacted about workplace benefits for a person who died and deadlines are approaching you are contacted by media or people online about a family member’s death and you do not want publicity you are named as executor in a will but you cannot locate the original document you are receiving a flood of messages about a death in your family and you cannot cope you are told a body will be released later and you need to plan next steps now you are told a critically ill relative may be transferred to another hospital and you must respond quickly you are told a death is being investigated and the timeline is unclear you are told a loved one has been found deceased and you must confirm details before informing others you are told a loved one is likely to die within days and you need to alert close family you are told a loved one’s remains will be transferred soon and you are unsure who is coordinating it you are told a person who died left minor children and custody decisions are suddenly urgent you are told a person who died may have debts and you are worried you will be responsible you are told a prepaid funeral plan exists but no one can find the provider details you are told a relative died while in custody and you do not know who to contact to confirm details you are told a relative’s tenancy will be ended quickly after they die and belongings must be removed under a short deadline you are told cremation or burial will proceed on a fixed date unless next-of-kin instructions are provided immediately you are told identification may require a recent photo or dental information after a death you are told life insurance paperwork is time-sensitive and you cannot find the policy you are told there are no near-term service slots and you must decide whether to delay a funeral you are told there will be an inquest or hearing and you do not know what to expect you are told to clear out a loved one’s room in a care facility quickly after they die you are told you are the next of kin and decisions are needed quickly you are told you must choose a funeral date immediately and key relatives cannot attend you are told you must decide about an autopsy and you feel overwhelmed you are told you need multiple certified copies of a death certificate and do not know why you are trying to tell extended family about a death in the family and rumours are spreading faster than facts you are unsure whether you should view the body of a loved one who died and family members disagree you cannot access a loved one’s email after they die and urgent notifications keep arriving you cannot access the home of a person who died and essential items are inside you cannot find keys to a home after a death and the property seems unsecured you discover a crowdfunding page was created in a loved one’s name without your consent you discover a funeral has been arranged by someone else without consulting immediate family you discover a person who died had a co-parenting arrangement and upcoming handovers need immediate planning you discover a person who died had pets and you need urgent temporary care you discover a vehicle or storage unit linked to a person who died may be towed or cleared soon you discover someone has died with no close family and you are being asked to take responsibility as a friend you expect a volatile relative may show up at a service and you are worried about disruption you experience a pregnancy loss or newborn death and officials begin asking about next steps you find a locked safe or strongbox and you suspect vital documents are inside you find more than one will and family members disagree about which is valid you find out a relative has died but you cannot reach anyone for details you learn a close relative has died and you have a history of trauma with them and feel destabilised you learn a death certificate has incorrect details and it is blocking urgent tasks you learn a loved one has died abroad and you do not know who to contact first you learn a loved one has died in another city and you need to travel urgently you learn a loved one is missing and you fear the worst but have no confirmation you learn a loved one’s death may have involved drugs or alcohol and you fear stigma and gossip you learn a person who died had dependants and immediate care arrangements are needed you learn a safety deposit box exists and access is needed but you do not know how to start you learn essential services are in the name of a person who died and shutoff notices may be coming you learn the rent or mortgage for a person who died is due and you do not know what to do next you learn there is a custody or family court date approaching soon after a death you must notify an employer or school about a death in your family you need to decide quickly whether a service should be private because of safety or privacy concerns you need to decide whether an ex-partner should be invited to a service and conflict is escalating you need to inform an estranged family member about a death and worry about conflict you need to tell a child that a relative is dying soon and you have little time to prepare you need to tell a child that someone close has died and you are in shock you need to travel with ashes and you are unsure what documentation will be required you need to update emergency contacts for children quickly after a death in the family you realise dependent adults relied on a relative who died and care arrangements must change quickly you realise you do not know where a person who died kept important documents you receive a call telling you a close family member has died and you are alone you receive a demand for “release fees” related to a death and it feels suspicious you receive a request for money “for funeral costs” from someone you do not fully trust you receive a request to transfer a loved one’s remains after they die and you are unsure it is legitimate you receive alerts that accounts are being accessed after a death and you suspect identity misuse you receive bills addressed to a person who died immediately after the death you receive calls from creditors or collectors shortly after a death you receive conflicting information about where a person who died is being held you receive messages asking for funeral details but you are not ready to share anything yet you receive urgent mail about legal proceedings involving a person who died and deadlines are close you suspect a death notification you received might be a scam or mistaken identity you suspect a funeral home or service provider is pressuring you into fast decisions you suspect a mailing address was changed after a death and important letters may be intercepted you suspect someone is taking advantage of grief to push you into signing documents quickly you suspect someone is trying to access the money or property of a person who died quickly you think a death may become public and you need to choose a family spokesperson quickly your surviving parent is overwhelmed after a death and you need urgent support for them