There's no instruction sheet at the bedside. The nurse may step out quietly. A social worker may hand you a folder. And somewhere in the middle of grief and paperwork, a question forms: Who do we call, and when?

The answer, in most cases, is your funeral home — and at Slone & Co., that call sets a quiet, practiced sequence of coordination in motion. We've spent more than a century working alongside the hospitals, hospice agencies, and care facilities that serve Cleveland families. Here's what actually happens behind the scenes, and what you can expect when you reach out to us.

The First Call: What You Don't Have to Know

Families sometimes apologize when they call us in the first hour of a loss. They worry they're calling too soon, or that they don't have the right information, or that they're supposed to do something first. None of that is true.

When you call Slone & Co. — at any hour, on any day — the only details we need to begin are the name of your loved one, the location where they passed, and a contact number for you. We take everything from there. You don't need to know the medical examiner's process, the death certificate workflow, or which department at the hospital handles releases. That's our work, and we've done it thousands of times.

Available 24/7 at (216) 941-3434. There is no wrong time to call. Hospital and hospice deaths happen at every hour, and we're always reachable.

Coordinating With Cleveland Hospitals

Cleveland is home to some of the most respected medical institutions in the country — the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, MetroHealth, Lutheran, St. Vincent Charity, and the smaller regional hospitals that serve neighborhoods across Cuyahoga County. Each has its own discharge procedures, but the general flow is consistent.

Once a death occurs in a hospital, the attending physician or hospitalist completes the initial pronouncement. The hospital's decedent affairs office (sometimes called patient affairs or the morgue office, depending on the institution) becomes the point of contact for the funeral home. When you tell the nursing staff that Slone & Co. is handling arrangements, that information is logged in the chart, and the decedent affairs office is notified.

From there, we coordinate directly with the hospital to:

• Confirm the pronouncement and verify identification
• Schedule and complete the transfer at a time that respects the family's wishes and the hospital's logistics
• Collect personal belongings if the family hasn't already
• Begin the death certificate process with the attending physician's office

The family doesn't need to be at the hospital for the transfer. Many families prefer to leave once they've said goodbye, and we handle the rest privately and respectfully.

Working Alongside Hospice Teams

Hospice care changes the coordination meaningfully. When a loved one is enrolled in hospice — whether at home, in a hospice house, or in a long-term care setting — the death is expected, and the process is designed to be peaceful rather than procedural.

Cleveland-area hospice agencies like Hospice of the Western Reserve, Harbor Light Hospice, and Crossroads Hospice each have established protocols. The hospice nurse typically arrives within an hour or two of the death (or is already present), confirms the passing, and notifies the attending physician. Because the death is anticipated under hospice care, there's no need for emergency responders or the medical examiner in most circumstances.

This is where families often appreciate how seamless the handoff can be. The hospice nurse and our team have likely worked together many times. We coordinate timing so the family has as much time as they need before the transfer — sometimes hours, sometimes a full evening if that's what feels right. There's no rush. We've sat in living rooms while adult children took turns saying goodbye. We've waited while a spouse finished a prayer. The hospice team and our team understand that the clock isn't what matters.

Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities

Coordination with skilled nursing facilities and assisted living communities follows a similar rhythm to hospice. The facility's nursing staff handles the initial pronouncement (or coordinates with the resident's physician), notifies the family, and contacts the funeral home when the family is ready.

Many Cleveland-area facilities have a regular working relationship with Slone & Co. spanning years. Staff know our team by name, know our process, and can guide families through the immediate hours with confidence. If the family hasn't chosen a funeral home in advance, the facility's social worker can present options without pressure — but pre-arranging means there's never a question about who to call.

What Happens After the Transfer

Once your loved one is in our care, the coordination doesn't end. We continue working with the hospital or hospice on the death certificate, which requires the attending physician's signature and the cause-of-death information. In Ohio, death certificates are filed electronically through the Electronic Death Registration System, which has made the process significantly faster than it used to be — but it still depends on prompt sign-off from the medical provider.

We handle all of that follow-up. We request the certified copies you'll need for estate matters, insurance claims, Social Security notification, and any veterans' benefits. Families typically need somewhere between five and ten certified copies, and we'll help you determine the right number based on your situation.

One number to remember. Whether your loved one is at the Cleveland Clinic, in hospice care at home, or in a care facility anywhere in our service area, the same call to Slone & Co. starts the same careful process.

Why the Coordination Matters

Most families never see this part of our work, and that's intentional. The hours between a death and the first family meeting are not the time for logistics to land on grieving shoulders. The hospital handoff, the hospice notification, the death certificate paperwork, the transportation arrangements — all of it should be quiet, dignified, and invisible from the family's perspective.

What you should feel is supported. What you shouldn't have to feel is the weight of a system you've never had to learn. That's the difference a long-established funeral home in your own city can make. We know the people in decedent affairs at the major hospitals. We know the hospice nurses. We know the social workers at the care facilities. Those relationships are part of what we offer, even when no one notices.

If You're Anticipating a Loss

Families sometimes call us before a death has occurred — when a loved one has been moved to hospice, or when a hospital stay has taken a difficult turn. There's nothing premature about that conversation. Reaching out early lets us answer questions, walk you through what to expect, and be ready when the moment comes so that nothing is rushed.

If that's where you are right now, please don't hesitate to call. The conversation is private, and there's no obligation. Sometimes the most helpful thing we do is simply explain what the next few days will look like, so the unknown becomes a little less heavy.