The basic starting point is that: Nobody owns a body – there is no property in a dead body. The person entitled to possession of the body is the person who is under a duty to dispose of the body. A crematorium authority must hand over the ashes to the person who delivered the body for cremation.

Saying Goodbye

1. Don’t wait until the last minute.
2. It’s OK, even comforting, to let on that you know the end is nearing.
3. Follow the dying person’s lead.
4. The truth is good — but so is the little white lie.
5. Keep talking even if you’re not sure you’re being heard.
6. Try to stay present — don’t get ahead of yourself.

The brain is the first organ to begin to break down, and other organs follow suit. Living bacteria in the body, particularly in the bowels, play a major role in this decomposition process, or putrefaction. This decay produces a very potent odor. “Even within a half hour, you can smell death in the room,” he says.

Active dying is the final phase of the dying process. While the pre-active stage lasts for about three weeks, the active stage of dying lasts roughly three days. By definition, actively dying patients are very close to death, and exhibit many signs and symptoms of near-death.

One study in Archiv Fur Kriminologie concluded that you can’t survive more than 8 to 21 days without food and water. People on their deathbed who are using very little energy may live only a few days or a few weeks without food and water.

However, as a death rattle is often a symptom of the dying process, it may not be possible to eliminate the sound entirely. Also, deep suctioning of the person’s mouth may clear the secretions temporarily, but can be very disruptive to the person and the sounds are likely to return.