Immediate need guide · Salt Lake City funeral home
A calm, practical guide for the first calls to make, what the funeral home can coordinate, what documents families may need, and what usually happens in the first 24 hours.
If a death has just occurred and you need help now, take one breath and call us. Inspired Funeral Home is available 24 hours a day for families in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, and the surrounding Salt Lake Valley.
Call (385) 853-5700 · 24/7The hours after a loss can feel overwhelming, especially when you are trying to protect your family, notify the right people, and make decisions you never wanted to face. You do not have to have every answer before you call a funeral director.
Inspired Funeral Home is a veteran- and woman-owned funeral home in Salt Lake City. Our role is to provide compassionate guidance, transparent explanations, and full-service funeral care at economical pricing, while giving your family room to make thoughtful decisions.
First calls
Use the situation closest to yours. If you are uncertain, call us and we will help you understand the next safe step without pressure.
Call the hospice nurse first. Hospice can confirm the death, answer immediate questions, and help your family understand when the funeral home may come.
When your family is ready, call Inspired Funeral Home. There is no need to rush the first goodbye; we can bring your loved one into our care when the timing feels right.
If the death was sudden or unexpected and your loved one was not on hospice, call 911 first so emergency responders can guide the next steps.
After the proper authorities have released your loved one to a funeral home, call us. If you are unsure what to do while you are waiting, you may still call and we will help you understand the process.
Hospital staff will guide the immediate process and ask which funeral home your family has chosen. You can tell them Inspired Funeral Home.
Call us as well, and we will coordinate directly with the facility. You do not need to arrange transportation or manage facility paperwork on your own.
The facility will notify the appropriate medical professional or hospice provider and help with the pronouncement of death.
Let the staff know you have chosen Inspired Funeral Home, then call us so we can coordinate the transfer and begin answering your questions.
Call us before making separate arrangements elsewhere. We can help coordinate with a local funeral home, facility, or authority and explain options for returning your loved one to the Salt Lake Valley.
Distance can make the first calls feel especially confusing. We will help you understand what can be handled locally and what we can coordinate on your behalf.
First 24 hours
Every family’s timing is different. The first day is typically about care, coordination, and clarity — not rushing every final decision.
Review transparent pricing →Depending on where the death occurred, that may be hospice, 911, hospital staff, or the care facility team. Once your loved one can be released to a funeral home, call us any hour.
Tell the facility or responders you have selected Inspired Funeral Home. We will coordinate the transfer with dignity and keep you informed.
Identify the family members or decision-makers who should be part of the arrangement conversation. If plans were made in advance, gather those documents when you can.
We will set a time to discuss funeral, cremation, memorial, veteran, and cemetery needs. You do not have to decide everything before the first meeting.
Coordination
Documents
Do not delay calling because you cannot find everything. These items are simply helpful as arrangements and paperwork move forward.
Planning options
These pages explain service options in more detail. You can read them now or wait until after you speak with a funeral director.
Traditional and personalized funeral services for families who want a gathering, visitation, ceremony, or graveside service.
Learn more →Cremation options with room for a memorial, celebration of life, private farewell, or other meaningful tribute.
Learn more →Flexible memorial gatherings that can be planned soon or after family and friends have time to travel.
Learn more →If your loved one planned ahead, bring those documents. If this experience has raised planning questions, we can help later.
Learn more →Support for military honors, veteran documentation, and dignified recognition of a loved one’s service.
Learn more →Resources and compassionate support for the days and weeks after the immediate arrangements are complete.
Learn more →If your loved one was on hospice, call hospice first. If the death was sudden or unexpected at home, call 911. In a hospital or care facility, staff will guide the immediate process. Once your loved one can be released to a funeral home, call Inspired Funeral Home at (385) 853-5700 for 24-hour guidance.
No. You may call before those decisions are made. We will bring your loved one into our care, explain funeral, cremation, and memorial options, and give your family time to choose thoughtfully.
The first day usually includes the necessary first call, choosing a funeral home, transferring your loved one into care, identifying the decision-makers, and scheduling an arrangement conversation. Exact timing depends on where the death occurred and whether a facility, hospice team, or authority is involved.
Helpful items include basic biographical information, Social Security number, insurance or pre-planning documents, cemetery information, and DD-214 military discharge papers if your loved one was a veteran. Bring what you can find; we will help with the rest.
Yes. We serve families throughout the Salt Lake Valley and surrounding communities, and we can help coordinate with another facility or funeral home when a death occurs away from home.
Reach Out
You do not have to face this alone. Call any hour and a caring funeral director will guide you through exactly what to do next.