The province of British Columbia developed the Joint Protocol For Expected/Planned Home Deaths in British Columbia to support individuals to die at home with their families or caregivers.
If you wish to plan an expected natural home death, you should review "Expected/Planned Home Deaths" for a detailed explanation.
Ask the patient’s physician to complete the "Notification of Expected Death in the Home" form and send it to the funeral home before the death. This form will allow a Funeral Director to remove a body from a home without pronouncement of death. Note that pronouncement of death is not required by BC law, but is a sound clinical and ethical practice for nurses and physicians. There may be circumstances when pronouncement is difficult or families choose to waive pronouncement.
A Medical Certificate of Death form must be completed by the physician within 48 hours after death and forwarded to the funeral director who will register the death with Vital Statistics Agency.
What's next?
Estate Administration is the process in which the estate executor (or administrator) handles and eventually distributes the assets of the person who has died. This is often a difficult and time-consuming task, which makes the executor or administrator’s role a daunting one. Executors and administrators have certain legal duties and obligations, and they must handle the assets solely for the benefit of the estate, not for the benefit of the beneficiaries who will be receiving gifts from the Will-maker. For this reason, executors or administrators must tread very carefully, and should seek legal advice on how to carry out this important role in order to limit the executor or administrator’s legal liability. We can help with this process - feel free to reach out to one of our Estate Planning and Administration lawyers.
How we can help
At KZEL, we work together as a team to achieve better outcomes. In each case, we use our collective experience, wisdom, and practical advice to support you through this difficult and emotional process.
