WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JULY 2, 2020 17
COPING WITH DEATH
How to handle a death that occurs away from home
Whether you’re a snowbird
going to a warmer climate
to escape winter weather or
you’re traveling on a business trip, it’s
wise to prepare for the unexpected.
Accidents happen. People fall victim
to new or existing medical conditions.
Death is always an overwhelming event,
especially so when it occurs away from
home. That’s why it is wise to carry a
wallet-sized card listing the names of
your next-of-kin, the telephone number
of your funeral director and stating
whether any funeral pre-arrangements
have been made.
Most travelers wouldn’t dream
of leaving home on an extended trip
without carrying along copies of prescriptions,
yet how many think to include
personal information that would
facilitate their fi nal arrangements if the
unthinkable happens?
Robert Ruggiero, a licensed New
York City funeral director, off ers these
suggestions to help cope with death
away from home.
Don’t leave the body. The most frequent
response by family members
experiencing a death away from home
is to hurry home to begin funeral
arrangements.
However, most deaths that occur
while traveling are sudden and require
an investigation by the local medical examiner’s
offi ce and police department.
The family member traveling with
the person who remains available to
the authorities at the place of death will
expedite the return process.
If a person has died and family is not
with the deceased, survivors should
not fl y out to the place of death.
With today’s technology, there’s a
good possibility that if identifi cation is
required, survivors can save time by
staying home and requesting another
means to accomplish the necessary
procedures.
Appoint your hometown funeral
director as the “point person.” Allow
him or her to select the means of
returning your loved one home. Your
family funeral director is familiar with
the necessary procedures to ease the
process for you.
If the death occurs overseas, the U.S.
State Department’s Bureau of Consular
Aff airs in Washington, DC (202-647-
5225) or the local Embassy can provide
emergency assistance for Americans
traveling overseas who encounter a
tragedy of this nature.
For more information visit the
Bureau of Consular Aff airs website,
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/
en/abroad/events-and-records/
death.html
Any expense will ultimately be the
responsibility of the bereaved family
but because of the State Department’s
intervention, there may be no immediate
upfront expense in most cases.
For more information, you might
want to call your family funeral director
before leaving home.
Courtesy of NYS Funeral Directors
Association
Lasting impressions
are our first priority.
A funeral service represents a family’s
final farewell to their loved one. Knowing this,
we go beyond what is expected to ensure
the ceremony is beautiful and memorable...
a truly fitting tribute to that special life.
We invite you to visit us to meet our staff
and tour our facility. We think you’ll be
pleased to find that making lasting impressions
is our first priority.
MORTON FUNERAL HOME /
RIDGEWOOD CHAPELS
Continuing a proud tradition of dignified, personal service.
��������������������������������������������������������������������������������
��������������������������������������������������������������������������������
/
/
/
/WWW.QNS.COM
