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HEALTH IN Information by Anne Bréchet and
Angela Bird |
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WHAT TO DO WHEN... |
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Someone dies |
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Unfortunately, even when you are
on holiday, the worst can happen. The second half of this page
contains useful information, |
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WHEN
THE WORST HAPPENS Call the
Fire Brigade (dial 18; or 112 from a mobile phone and ask for “les
pompiers”) they are the equivalent to the British ambulance service. They
will practise first aid until a doctor arrives to certify death. If you do
not speak good French, it is a good idea to find someone who does to come
round as soon as possible and interpret for you, as there are a lot of
formalities to go through and decisions to be made. Once
death has been certified ask the doctor or someone around to call the
undertaker. (Almost every little town
has a “pompe-funèbres”, as undertakers are called in French.) In fact
if the death is of a foreigner (i.e. not French) the emergency team will also
call the Gendarmerie, who will send one or two gendarmes along;
somebody will also inform the local Mayor, who has to come along to see you
in the case of the death of a foreigner in their commune before the
body can be removed. You
should call your insurance company as soon as possible. If you have
repatriation insurance, the company will tell you how to proceed. But you may
still find the following useful, as everything happens very quickly, and you
will want to feel that you have some control over events. The
undertaker will arrive to take the body away. But first
he will ask you: v if you wish for burial, cremation
or repatriation for the deceased. If you
have decided on repatriation, make sure that you have the agreement of your
insurance company first as it is an expensive process involving a lead-lined
coffin and probably a special flight; which they may be unwilling to pay for.
v to choose a coffin. v whether you wish for a religious
service. v whether there are any particular
clothes you would like the deceased to be dressed in (in which case you have
to sort them out there and then and hand them to the undertaker). v whether you wish the body to be
placed in an open coffin, for you and others to pay your respects. This
is common practice in the Vendée; the body is either returned to the house in
the open coffin or displayed at the funeral parlour, so that friends and neighbours
can say goodbye before the funeral. If you prefer for the body not to be on
view, it is no problem; you just inform the undertaker of your wishes (if you
do decide on viewings, but are in holiday rental premises, you will of course
have to opt for the funeral-parlour viewing). Undertakers
usually convey the coffin in a special, smartly-painted van, rather than the
glass-sided vehicles that are seen in the UK.
The mourners are expected to use their own transport rather than to
book special funeral cars. The death
has to be notified at the local Mairie (town hall). Their staff will
issue the death certificate within a day or two, and any number of copies,
free of charge. Unlike the UK, the
cause of death is not stated on the death certificate in France. THE
FUNERAL The
undertaker will discuss with you later when it is convenient to hold the
funeral and/or cremation. If you
wish to have a non-religious funeral without cremation (i.e. with burial or repatriation),
the undertaker will probably allow you to use his premises; if you have opted
for cremation, the undertaker will make a booking for you. In both
cases you will need to arrange everything about the “service” yourself
though, from introduction onwards, so start to think about music (take CDs to
be played through the sound system), and readings (get people lined up to do
them). Also
think about ordering flowers. If you
wish to have an Anglican Service in English you should contact Brian Davies 02
51 62 96 32, of the Congregations of All-Saints, Vendée. If you
wish for a French Catholic service, the undertaker will put you in touch with
the local priest to help and advise you. Cremation
is becoming more common in France now, and the Vendée is no exception. There
is a smart, ultra-modern crematorium at Olonne-sur-Mer (near Les
Sables-d’Olonne), very hushed and close-carpeted. If you are in a far-flung corner of the
Vendée, the undertaker may suggest a different crematorium closer to hand in
a neighbouring county, such as Nantes or Niort. THE
ASHES It is
possible to have the deceased cremated and then for the undertaker to collect
the ashes – sometimes on the same day – and to place them in an urn or a
casket ready for you to pick up and either scatter or take home, as
required. If you
wish to take the ashes back to the UK you have to obtain permission from the
Préfecture, and obtain the necessary documents from them. The Préfecture for
the Vendée is at 29 rue Delille, 85000 La Roche-sur Yon (tel: 02 51 36 70
85). You
should notify the ferry company or the airline that you will be carrying an
urn with you. On your
return to the UK a local funeral director can arrange burial or scattering,
but he will need a copy of the document from the Préfecture before being able
to proceed. HOW TO
PAY The
French undertaker will issue a bill about a month after the funeral, this
will be inclusive of the crematorium fees.
He will expect cash or a French cheque as he may not have card
facilities; alternatively you can arrange to transfer the amount direct to
his bank account. |
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HOSPITALISATION IN THE VENDEE, by Anne Bréchet Here is an excellent page from the
AngloInfo website that details all the official formalities. |
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