A hospice staff member may be absent when someone dies at home in hospice care. So, the hospice on-call-nurse who will come to the house must officially pronounce the death. After the death is confirmed, the nurse will notify the medical director of the hospice and fill out the necessary legal paperwork.

It is natural and expected for families of the deceased to want to spend some time saying goodbye to their loved one and arranging for any religious or cultural rituals, so hospice accommodates this request.