#73 Dying at home, what you need to know and how to be prepared - What we need to do after a person has died at home

This is the sixth in a series of seven podcasts about End of Life Care, specifically towards the last days of life and when someone wishes to die at home. Rachel kindly agreed to make these with me and recreate some of the conversations I have had over so many years about dying at home, what you need to know and how to be prepared.

In this episode we talk about what to do after a person has died at home and the difference between verifying and certifying a death.

Dying at home, what you need to know and how to be prepared

1. Recognising when someone might be approaching the last stages of life and why this matters

2. Fast Track CHC and other support available

3. Equipment

4. Symptom Control and medication

5. What changes are there as someone approaches the end of life?

6. What we need to do after a person has died at home

7. Looking after yourself and changing plans

Key messages from guest

• Be prepared, know ahead who you should be calling. 

• Verification of Expected Death can be done by a nurse, this simply verifies the fact of a death

•  After a death has been verified, a certificate (Medical Certificate of Cause of Death – MCCD) must be completed and submitted to the local registrar of births, marriages and deaths.

• A person who is dying at home should have been seen regularly (every 28 days) by a GP

• Ask the health care professional who you should call during the week, weekend or Bank Holiday if someone dies at home. 

Episode takeaways

• Verification of death is the process of identifying that a person has died.

• Certification is providing the medical certification for the cause of death

• Always check national and local guidance for current practice

Resource

• Read more about guidance on Verification of Expected Death:Confirmation or verification of death by registered nurses 

• Access Guidance for doctors completing medical certificates of cause of death in England and Wales (accessible version)  

• Available on Rachel’s The Mutton Club website:  What To Do When Someone Dies – A Checklist To Help

Access Rachel’s work

Website: The Magnificent Midlife 

Podcast: The Magnificent Midlife Podcast

Book:  The Magnificent Midlife book

Bio:

Rachel Lankester, founder of Magnificent Midlife

Rachel Lankester is the founder of Magnificent Midlife, an online hub celebrating and empowering women 40+. She's the author of Magnificent Midlife: Transform Your Middle Years, Menopause and Beyond and host of the Magnificent Midlife podcast. After a shocking early menopause diagnosis at 41, she scratched her own itch and created what she wasn't able to find to help herself. This includes 1-1 and group mentoring, courses and educational resources to help women vibrantly transition through the sometimes messy middle of life. She's also the founder of MenoClarity, an online information hub about menopause.

Clare Fuller, Advance Care Planning Advocate, Educator & Coach

Clare is a Registered Nurse with 30 years’ experience in End-of-Life Care (EoLC). Clare is an advocate for Advance Care Planning and founded www.speakforme.co.uk to help organisations to improve EoLC, provide professional education and raise public awareness about Advance Care Planning. Clare campaigns for proactive Advance Care Planning, hosts the podcast Conversations about Advance Care Planning  and is a Lasting Power of Attorney Consultant.