Helpful information about death and funeral planning for families

Losing a loved one is always traumatic, not only because they are no longer there but also not knowing “what next”.

The City Times spoke to East Rand Funeral Directors (ERFD) and Mosaic Funerals (MF) in Benoni about burials during the pandemic and what families need to know about the death of a loved one.

When someone dies in hospital, how is the body released?

ERFD: The body will be released to the preferred funeral director once the doctor of the patient has signed off on the notification of death and the compliant funeral director arrives at the hospital conforming to all Covid-19-related protocol as prescribed by the government and local health department.

If a person dies at home, what happens?

MF: The first step would be to call paramedics to issue a declaration of death, as funeral undertakers are not allowed to collect the deceased without that declaration from a professional, e.g. paramedics or doctors.

ERFD: Should the paramedic find no natural cause of death, they will contact the Government Forensic Pathology Services to collect the body to be taken to the government morgue for a post-mortem to be done.

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Who collects the body and where is it taken?

BOTH: The body is released to the preferred funeral director, who must comply with Covid-19 protocol, and is taken to a private mortuary also compliant with government and local health department regulation.

Where does one start with funeral arrangements?

ERFD: The family will under current circumstances not be at the hospital when their loved one is collected by the funeral director. The funeral director will get the contact details of the next of kin to be contacted at the hospital and will make contact with the next of kin once the body has been removed from the hospital.

The family will also be contacted by the funeral director at open of business the following day to make an appointment to do funeral arrangements.

MF: We start with the arrangement process as soon as suitable to the family, by either making an appointment with the family to personally visit them at their home, or we meet at our offices.

How soon can a funeral take place?

ERFD: The funeral takes place as soon as required and or convenient for the family. Normally within three or four days, but there are special regulations and procedures in place to conduct a funeral service within as little as 24 hours when required by religion.

MF: Since the start of the pandemic, funeral procedures have slightly changed. Should it be a burial service, we make contact with the family’s selected cemetery and they provide us with an available date and timeslots, where the family may select the most suitable date and time.

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How long can the body be kept at the morgue?

ERFD: The most recent Government Gazette published that the mortal remains of a Covid-19 patient should not be kept for more than three days and the mortal remains of a non-Covid-19 patient, not more than 10 days.

Once a person dies, do their loved ones visit the funeral home for more guidance?

BOTH: Families are guided step by step by the funeral director. All formalities like documentation, including death certificates, burial orders, travelling permits, are taken care of by the funeral director.

All arrangements are done and taken care of according to the family’s needs and requirements, which include obituaries according to supplied templates, choosing of a coffin and flowers according to specification, arrangements with a minister, church or venue as well as refreshments.

The funeral programme template and some specimens (examples) are provided to our clients, for them to attend to this at their own time, it is a very emotional process, specifically selecting photos, memories and appropriate wording. A chapel or venue, as well as a minister, will be supplied by the funeral director if needed.

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How are funerals organised if the immediate family also have Covid-19 and cannot physically arrange the funeral?

ERFD: There are several options available which include online arrangements via the internet website of the funeral director, scheduled

Zoom meetings with family from all over the globe and telephonic arrangements. It is possible to meet all requirements with regards to arrangements via email.

MF: To register the death on the family’s behalf at The Department of Home Affairs, we require written permission, ID copies as well as fingerprints and signatures. In the case of positive Covid-19 diagnoses, we make special arrangements with families to ensure the safety of all as well as to accommodate our clients personally.

Covid deaths

How does the funeral take place?

ERFD: Families are allowed to attend and assist with the preparation (washing and dressing) of a deceased loved one on condition they wear full PPE as per regulation, which will be supplied by the funeral director, and there are no persons over the age of 60 years or who have a respiratory disease or a co-morbidity illness or condition.

After preparation, the body must be placed in a sealed plastic cover inside the coffin. The coffin does not have to be covered with anything else (such as bubble wrap) nor does it have to be marked as a bio-hazard.

A viewing can also take place before the funeral service on the condition that the viewing happens at the premises of the funeral director, no one touches the body and there are no persons over the age of 60 years or have a respiratory disease or have a co-morbidity illness or condition.

Taking the coffin to the home of the family, for a wake, before the funeral service is prohibited under Covid-19 regulation but nothing prevents the hearse to pass by the house with the coffin on the way to the funeral service.

The coffin is allowed to enter the church for the funeral service. From here on the funeral service takes its normal course without any other specific requirements. The funeral directors are not required to wear PPE and the coffin does not have to be sanitised. Social distancing, regulations with regards to capacity and mask-wearing at all times are always to be adhered to.

For everyone’s safety and wellbeing, it is advised to keep the attending of preparation and viewings to the absolute minimum as these situations not only place the family at risk but also the staff of the funeral director.

Technology is being utilised with funeral services to allow family members suffering from Covid-19 or travel restrictions to also attend the funeral service via internet platforms utilised to live stream the proceedings. It even enables them to interact with other family members attending the service.

MF: Our policyholders already have their plans (selected coffins) in place and we are trained to adhere to the necessary PPE to be able to remove/collect human remains. At the hospitals, our clients need to identify their loved ones.

We adhere to the Covid regulations by placing and storing Covid deaths in three body bags and thereafter store in the family’s selected coffin. With positive Covid deaths, viewings are strongly discouraged.

Washing and preparing of the mortal remains are allowed provided those carrying out the task wear all necessary PPE, such as gloves, masks and waterproof coverall. All PPE used must be disposed of immediately; however, washing of mortal remains is not encouraged.

No washing or coffining is allowed outside of the mortuary or the funeral undertaker’s premises.

Since the pandemic started, how have you as a funeral home been handling the influx of deaths?

ERFD: Swift action was required to adjust and prepare to be compliant with government regulations. Procurement and investment were necessary for obtaining sufficient PPE and chemicals. Immediate training of competent staff to adhere to new standards in protocol was implemented.

MF: We take pride in what we do and treat every client with the utmost respect and work hard to uphold our reputation.

Funeral policies and finances

What are the financial implications?

ERFD: The family would need to pay the costs for the funeral directly. Most undertakers would require the payment before the funeral, but this needs to be discussed with the undertaker directly and depends on their terms and conditions of trade.

There are numerous funeral insurance houses offering policies to cover the cost of a funeral for the whole family. These policies usually have a cash value that pays out directly to the family within 48 hours.

The value of these policies varies from as little as R1 500 to R50 000 or even more.
Families need to make sure they have enough cover because the cash value for the policy does not increase with time.

What about those who have no policy?

ERFD: Families who do not have policies to cover a funeral service usually help each other out by contributing to the overall cost. Funeral directors also have options available to families in need to keep costs as low as possible so these families can be assisted to take care of the disposal (for a lack of a better word) of a loved one in a dignified manner.

What happens if someone does not know which funeral policy the deceased had?

MF: We do not have access to such sensitive, personal information and according to the laws of South Africa, neither can we access such information without prior written instruction/permission/consent from the family.

We cannot stress enough how important it is to have documents in place in the unfortunate case of losing a loved one to make it easier for the family left behind.

Funeral gatherings

Now that funerals are limited, how do people usually have funerals?

MF: We afford our clients to make their specific funerals as personalised as they wish, yet still abiding by regulations. We have found that most people are very understanding and accommodating towards funerals. Live-streaming is also an option for someone not being able to physically attend.

ERFD: A guest register needs to be completed for all persons attending the service, temperatures need to be taken and each person attending the service needs to sign the guest register.

Do funeral homes offer any kind of guidance or counselling for the bereaved?

MF: We do and we are also able to arrange counselling at the request of our clients.

Death certificate

How can people obtain a death certificate?

BOTH: The funeral director will arrange the death certificate from the Department of Home Affairs on behalf of the family.

How long does this take?

BOTH: It all depends on how soon the DHA1663 (BI-form) can be obtained from the deceased’s medical institution and also depends on The Department of Home Affairs.