No one is truly prepared for the loss of a loved one. It is devastating when it happens, with the handling of the loved one’s affairs after they pass away a huge responsibility for family and friends. Taking care of their affairs covers a wide range of personal, legal, and financial tasks and responsibilities that can be time-consuming, costly, and tedious. This is not something anyone should have to handle on their own and all at once, in addition to getting help from friends and family, it is a good idea to break doing so into smaller stages and tasks.
Make The Notification
Apart from the funeral, making the notification is the hardest part of handling a loved one’s passing. This is something you may not be able to delegate, and you will need to notify friends, family, and their employer if they were employed.
If they were, it is also a good idea to ask about benefits, final payments, and whether your loved one had life insurance provided by their employer.
It is also a good idea to reach out to any communities and organizations they were part of.
Make Service Arrangements
Many people leave details on how they would like their funeral to be handled. In such cases, it is best to follow your loved one’s wishes. This information will typically be contained in a letter or another type of communication with prearranged plans for what should happen. Your loved one might also have indicated whether they need a funeral and where they should be buried or cremated.
A local Florida funeral home can handle the details for you regardless of the options they made. For loved ones who chose cremation, you can find funeral homes that provide cremation Naples FL services. Family funeral homes like Baldwin Cremation based in Naples will follow your loved one’s wishes or whichever arrangements you make.
Since there might be a lot that needs to be handled, you can delegate some funeral arrangements tasks to family and friends. They can help handle things like writing or giving the eulogy, gathering photos, and ensuring everything goes smoothly.
Take care of their Pets and House
It is a good idea to consider making plans for your loved one’s pets. Many people take care of their pets until they can make permanent arrangements. There are also options for pets that no longer have homes, and you can look into those if you, their friends, and other family members cannot take care of the pets.
Another thing to do is to close their Florida property. There may be legal issues that need to be finalized but, before that happens:
- Remove any perishable foods
- Check whether there are plants that need care
- Lock all valuables in a safe
- Lock their vehicle and home
- Forward all their mail so it does not start piling up
Conclusion
There are many other issues that you need to take care of when handling a loved one’s affairs in Florida, but starting with the above should put you in a position to ensure things go well. You will need to handle their death certificate, will, any due debts, assets, and social media accounts. You can handle these things after the funeral and once you have had enough time to mourn your loved one.
