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Obtain a legal pronouncement of death

If you are with a loved one when they pass, the very first step you should take is to get a legal . If your loved one passed away in a hospital or an assisted living facility, you don't need to worry about this.

If your loved on passed at home without , we advise calling 911. Emergency respondents can assist with to a local medical examiner or .

If your loved one passed at home under hospice care, in most states the hospice nurse can declare the death or contact the doctor that needs to make the declaration.

If a do-not-resuscitate order exists, be sure to provide it to the paramedics, who will otherwise generally deploy emergency procedures until they reach a hospital where a doctor can declare the death.