New Guidebook Outlines What to Do When Someone Dies

Nova Scotians dealing with the death of a loved one can get some help from a new government guidebook. What You Have to do After Someone Passes Away, outlines the affairs that need to be handled and the organizations dealt with when someone dies.

"We want to support grieving families at the difficult time of the death of a loved one," said Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Minister Mark Furey. "It can be confusing for people to figure out what must be done when someone dies. This guide is a good resource for Nova Scotians."

"The booklet gives loved ones information at their own convenience," said Adam Tipert, president of the Funeral Services Association of Nova Scotia. "It's useful for funeral directors too as it compiles all the information we need for discussion with families into one place, which helps us help them."

Registering a death also becomes easier and more efficient. A new electronic registration process will improve the accuracy and completeness of information collected by funeral directors and submitted to the Vital Statistics office after a death. The information was previously provided on paper. This is a similar process as electronic birth registration, introduced last year at kiosks in hospitals.

What You Have to do After Someone Passes Away is available at funeral homes and on the government website at http://novascotia.ca/snsmr/access/vitalstats/death.asp.

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Nova Scotians dealing with the death of a loved one can get some help from a new government guidebook.

What You Have to do After Someone Passes Away, outlines the affairs that need to be handled and the organizations dealt with when someone dies.

Mark Furey, Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations, says his department wanted to make dealing with the death of a loved one as easy as possible during a very stressful time.

The guidebook also helps funeral directors in their discussions with families as it compiles all the information they need to know in one place.

The guidebook is available at funeral homes and on the Vital Statistics website.

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