What to Do Immediately After a Hospice Death: A Checklist

When someone dies at home on hospice, call the hospice — not 911. A death on hospice is expected, so there is no medical emergency and no need for paramedics or police. The hospice nurse will come, confirm the death, handle the official notifications, and guide you through the next steps. Below is a calm checklist for the first hours. There is no rush; take the time you need to be with your loved one.

The first-hours checklist

1. Take a breath. There is no emergency. You do not have to do anything in the first minutes except be present. Nothing requires immediate action.
2. Call the hospice's 24/7 number. This is the single most important step. Tell them your loved one has died. A nurse will come to the home to confirm (“pronounce”) the death and start the paperwork. Keep this number visible near the phone.
3. Do NOT call 911. Calling 911 can trigger resuscitation attempts, a transport you don't want, or police involvement — none of which is appropriate for an expected hospice death. Our guide explains why: do you call 911 when someone dies at home on hospice?
4. Wait for the hospice nurse. The nurse confirms the death, notes the time, and contacts the attending physician so the death certificate can be completed. You don't arrange the pronouncement yourself.
5. Spend time with your loved one if you wish. Many families sit, pray, or invite close relatives. There is no deadline to move the body — it can stay until you're ready and the funeral home arrives.
6. Decide on the funeral home or crematory. If you already chose one, tell the hospice nurse and they can help coordinate the transfer. If you haven't, see our guide on whether hospice helps with funeral or cremation arrangements — the social worker can point you to options, though the contract and costs are between you and the funeral provider.
7. Let the hospice handle medications and equipment. Ask the nurse how to dispose of remaining medications safely (especially controlled drugs like morphine) and when the medical equipment company will pick up the bed, oxygen, and supplies. Don't flush or discard medications on your own unless instructed. See what happens to medications after a hospice death.
8. Notify immediate family and a few key people. Reach out only to those who need to know right away. Broader notifications can wait.
9. Locate important documents when you're ready. You'll eventually need the death certificate (the funeral home usually orders copies), and later any will, insurance policies, and account information — but none of this is required in the first hours.
10. Accept the bereavement support. Medicare-certified hospices provide bereavement (grief) support to the family for up to about 13 months after the death. Ask the social worker how to reach it; you don't have to navigate grief alone.

Who does what in the first hours

It can be reassuring to know that most of the official steps are not yours to carry out — they belong to the hospice and the funeral provider. Here's how the roles divide up.

Task	Who handles it
Confirming and timing the death (pronouncement)	The hospice nurse
Completing and signing the death certificate	The hospice or attending physician — see who signs the death certificate
Transporting the body	The funeral home or crematory you choose
Disposing of medications and removing equipment	Guided by the hospice nurse and equipment company
Ordering certified death-certificate copies	Usually the funeral home, on your behalf
Notifying family and arranging the service	You, on your own timeline

The misconception, corrected

The most dangerous and common mistake is calling 911 out of instinct. For an expected death at home on hospice, 911 is the wrong number — it can lead to unwanted resuscitation, an ER trip, or a police report, all of which add trauma to an already hard moment. The hospice exists precisely to manage this. The right call is the hospice's 24/7 line. The second misconception is that you must hurry; you don't. Pronouncement, paperwork, and transport all happen on a humane timeline.

A note on deaths in a facility

If your loved one dies in a nursing home, assisted-living community, or inpatient hospice unit rather than at home, the steps are similar but the facility staff often initiate them. Notify the nurse on duty, who will contact the hospice and follow the same expected-death process — no 911, no resuscitation for a patient on hospice with comfort-care orders. The facility and hospice coordinate the pronouncement and the call to the funeral home. You still get the same unhurried time to be present, and the same bereavement support afterward.

Frequently asked questions

What if I already called 911 by reflex?

It happens, and it is understandable. Tell the dispatcher your loved one was on hospice and had an expected death with comfort-care (and, if applicable, a DNR or POLST) in place, and call your hospice's 24/7 line right away. The hospice can speak with responders and take over. Having the DNR or POLST visible helps prevent unwanted resuscitation.

How long can my loved one stay at home before the funeral home comes?

There is no fixed deadline. Many families spend an hour or several with their loved one before the body is transferred. The hospice nurse and funeral home work on a timeline that respects your need to say goodbye.

Who pronounces the death if it happens overnight?

The hospice's on-call nurse. That is exactly what the 24/7 line is for. You do not have to wait for business hours or arrange anything yourself — call whenever the death occurs.

Do I need to do anything with the medications right away?

No. Leave them where they are and ask the nurse how to dispose of them safely, especially controlled medications like morphine. Disposal is handled with guidance, not on your own in the first hours. See what happens to medications after a hospice death.

When does bereavement support begin?

The social worker or bereavement coordinator will reach out, and you can also ask the nurse how to connect. Support is available for at least a year (up to 13 months) after the death and is part of the hospice benefit — there is no extra charge and no need to navigate grief alone.

The next step: planning the farewell

Once the nurse has come and the immediate steps are done, the practical focus shifts to arrangements — burial or cremation, the service, and the death-certificate copies you'll need for accounts and benefits. Read does hospice help with funeral or cremation arrangements for what your hospice can and cannot do, so you know where their support ends and the funeral provider's role begins. If you are arranging care for someone else and want to understand the team that supports families through this, you can also compare hospices near you.

Bottom line: call the hospice, not 911; let the nurse pronounce the death and guide the paperwork; take your time; and lean on the bereavement support that comes with the benefit. You are not expected to manage this moment alone.