What to Do if You Lose a Loved One that Lived Alone

Having a loved one pass away is never easy. In addition to all the difficult decisions and tasks you must undertake after their passing, you are grieving the loss of a person who you loved. Your funeral home near Adelphi, MD can help you with all the logistics and planning when it comes to documents and funeral planning. However, if your loved one lived at their home alone, you may have a few extra things to consider.

If the person had any pets, you or another family member will need to make sure that they are being properly taken care of. Whether this means going to their house several times a day to let them out to feed and water them or taking them with you to stay in your home, something will need to be done. You may choose to keep them as your own, or you might start looking for a loving new home for them. Either way, they cannot be neglected in the event of their owner’s passing.

Another thing to address is any kind of trash or perishables that may still be in their home. You will want to clean out their refrigerator, take out their trash, and take care of any other items that can go bad and cause issues. That way, you don’t walk into a surprising mess or smell that is even more difficult to clean up. With everything else you have on your plate, this is a simple problem that you can easily avoid.

Make sure to collect their mail regularly, as well. Most people will continue to receive important mail and bills until all the paperwork is final. These do still need to be paid and taken care of. You can collect their mail at their home, or you can have it all forwarded to your address to make things easier on you. Another reason to take care of this is that when a person’s mailbox begins to accumulate mail, it is a signal that no one is home or has been for some time. This can encourage illegal activities like people breaking in to steal, squat, or vandalize. Those are definitely things that you want to avoid happening to your loved one’s home.

These are a few of the most important things you will need to consider after your loved one has passed away. At some point, you will also need to figure out what you plan to do with their home. You may want another family member to live there, you might want to simply keep it for a while, or you may choose to put it up for sale. While your funeral home near Adelphi, MD is there to help you with making all the arrangements for your loved one’s funeral and burial, these are some things that you and your family will have to address on your own. Having a little guidance beforehand can help ensure that you don’t forget anything important in those difficult days after their passing.