End of life

Hi and welcome to the forum. They will not do an autopsy. Why don't you call the funeral home ahead of time and ask them how to proceed. If his doctor is willing to sign the death certificate that should be all you need to do. Typically the funeral home will dress him in whatever clothes you provide.

You can always request hospice if it would help you. You don't need a doctor's order, you can call a hospice agency yourself. Services are covered by Medicare.

I agree. Interview several hospices. Both you and your husband will benefit from their services.

I am so sorry you are going through this. It is hard,I know. My sweet hubby died on May 6, 2024. It has barely been a month but feels so fresh. He had been in a licensed care home run by some good friends for four years, as I was not physically able to care for him at home, and he had been under Hospice care for three of those years. If they are under Hospice, you (or someone you designate) will call Hospice when it appears that he is close to the end. Their doctor or nurse will be the one to sign the death certificate, and they will list the cause of death as "Alzheimer's Disease," if that is what he had. They will prepare him to be picked up by the mortuary, and you will proceed from there, by letting the mortuary know what you want in the way of burial. It might be easier to have this settled with the mortuary ahead of time. Here is another thing that is hard to think about as you go through this, but it will make things so much easier if you do, and this information might help someone else, even if you don't need it. If you are both receiving Social Security, you can switch to his benefit after he passes if it was bigger than yours. You will need an original copy of your marriage certificate to show Social Security if you plan on doing this. You can contact Social Security by phone, and they will tell you what else they need. The mortuary will take care of notifying them of the death, but you will need to tell the mortuary how many copies of the death certificate you want. They are cheaper and easier to get from them. You will need one for your bank, life insurance, any annuities or pensions you get, etc. I plan on changing the title to our house to just my name rather than joint ownership, so the county recorder where we live wants a copy, too. You will most likely be filling out a lot of forms, so you may want a trusted friend or relative to help you with this. It's a very unpleasant task to have to perform when all you want to do is cry or sleep or be left alone, but getting it over with does seem to relieve some of the stress—at least, it has for me. And, don't make any big decisions until considerable time has elapsed! You will need time to grieve, rest, and think. If you have close friends or relatives nearby, let them offer you help as needed, but don't feel like you are obligated to accept help unless you want it. In my case, I was getting food I could not eat and plants that I had no place for, but we have to remember that our friends and relatives are grieving, too, and they want desperately to do something—anything—to help. Things WILL get better as we travel this road….

Thinking of you and your loved one. I agree, hospice is a true blessing - especially at the end. We are here for you.

@pae294 Here is the Tam Cummings ADAT or actively dying too which tracks the last weeks, months, days, hours to know what to expect as your LO transitions from this life. I hope you contact a hospice agency and let them help as much or as little as you want from now forward.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6372d16ea4e02c7ce64425b7/t/64ebd187d51079429664b19c/1693176199658/Actively_Dying_Assessment_Tool.pdf