Care after death

You may feel very shocked and numb, as though you cannot believe that it has happened. You may have lots of overwhelming emotions such as feeling extremely upset and angry. Many people find that they also feel very relieved that their relative or friend can now be at peace

Most cultures and religions have rituals or processes that they carry out at the time of death. It is important for you to do what you feel is right.

There may be some things that you need to do. However, you don’t usually need to do anything straight away, so you don’t need to feel rushed. You can just sit with your partner’s, relative’s or friend’s body for a while.

You may want to have a relative or friend there to support you. It may be helpful to get them to contact other people to let them know, if you don't feel up to telling them. A spiritual or religious adviser can also support you and carry out any rituals or processes that are important to you and your partner or relative.

In this section:

• What your GP will do
• What your funeral director will do
• Funeral and burial planning
• Registering the death
• How grief might affect you