Living Will Dnr Form
What are the legal and appropriate things to do if you are 1st to discover an elderly family person has died?
Sorry that this is morbid, but I want to be prepared. My 87 year old father is in poor health and will die soon, which will be blessing for him. He is living at home, and wishes no heroic measures be taken to save him. A Do-not-resuscitate (DNR) form is completed and posted several places in his home. I am wondering what I should do if/when I visit (daily) and find him dead. Who can “declare” him dead? Do I call 911? The coroner? The police? He lives in California in case there are State specific rules on this.
you can call 911…since he has a DNR they will just check to make sure that his is in fact dead. What i did as a paramedic was then fill out a DOA report, and place a call to the patients Dr. making sure that they were going to be signing a death certificate. Does he have plans? as far as funeral arrangements? If so call the funeral home prior to finding him dead and ask who to call in order to arrange transport to the funeral home. Not sure if there are special rules in CA.
By the way…on behalf of all EMS workers..thanks for having the DNR posted all over the home, i seriously mean that.
How to Ensure Your Parents End-of-Life Wishes are Carried Out
