When a loved one dies, it can be a very difficult thing to go through. There is always going to be a feeling of loss and those left behind are going to be in grief at the passing of their loved one. This situation becomes more challenging emotionally and more complicated when a friend or a relative passes in what is referred to as an unattended death.
An unattended death can become the responsibility of family or friends and even landlords when their passing happens in a residence that has been rented. On top of all this, in the time of a pandemic when people are contending with COVID-19, even more, issues can arise when dealing with an unattended death. This often requires professional assistance from experienced and seasoned teams that offer after-death cleaning services.
What An Unattended Death Means
An unattended death is a term that many people thankfully do not get the chance to hear of. In these types of instances, death occurs when someone passes without a doctor or healthcare provider present. They may conclude that an unattended death lacks a medical professional, in a setting such as hospice or a hospital.
This interpretation is mostly correct. When it comes to unattended deaths, they are deaths where no medical staff is on hand. But from a standpoint that is purely technical, referring to an unattended death can mean more than that. It is defined as a passing that happens with no medical personnel present, but also includes the fact that no one was there when the individual passed. Additionally, these types of deaths can extend to mean a death that was not discovered immediately. Another term that is frequently used is an ‘undiscovered death’. The truth about these situations is that there may be a significant amount of time that goes by before the remains of the deceased are found.
Unattended Deaths Attributed to COVID-19
Especially during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, unattended deaths can make things even more complicated. There are additional risks that present to everyone from family to friends, emergency workers, landlords, and funeral home staff. However, the reality of the situation is that there have been and will be individuals that die from what ends up being COVID-19 complications, and pass without anyone being there when they pass on. Someone that lives on their own may have contracted COVID-19, and then not want to seek out medical treatment or help or are not able to independently. In these cases, it is very possible that someone living alone might pass on their own unattended and their passing and death may not be known to others or found out for some time, from days to weeks.
At the moment, there is not a complete understanding in total clear detail when it comes to understanding how this particular coronavirus is transmitted. In these cases, there can be an infection risk if someone is exposed to an individual’s remains who has come down and was infected with COVID-19 when they passed. On top of this, different objects and surfaces in their residence may prove to be contaminated with coronavirus if the person had COVID-19. Just going into the residences of someone that has passed on directly from COVID-19 runs the risk of exposing that person to coronavirus and becoming infected themselves.
Unattended Death Cleanup and Disinfection In a Pandemic
Many people do not know the definition of what an unattended death is off the top of their head as they often have no reason to have that knowledge. To add to this, it is common that people will not be armed with a deep knowledge of what happens during the process of a human body decomposes. The fact is that the process of human decomposition will begin from the instant that an individual passes. In just the span of a few days, the signs of decomposition are going to be obvious both on and around the person’s remains.
A decomposing body is going to end up resulting in harmful pathogens being released from those remains. What are pathogens, you might ask? Pathogens are defined as being biological substances that possess the capacity to cause in others illness (an illness that can often be fatal) from anyone that engages in contact with the bacteria or viruses. It is one of the big reasons why family members, friends, or even landlords in this position will contact death cleanup services to assist them in an unattended death cleanup.
Being exposed to pathogens such as these is a distinct possibility when someone discovers an unattended death or takes on the responsibility of carrying out an unattended death cleanup. The situation becomes even more dangerous when the individual died due to COVID-19 and the scene of death is likely totally contaminated. In a situation where an unattended death needs to be dealt with, the truth is that the best option is to pursue professional biohazard remediation. Especially when in the middle of this COVID-19 pandemic, getting help from unattended death cleanup services is very important.
Professional after-death cleaning services have the experience to take these jobs on. They will comprehensively tackle remediating an unattended death and its aftermath during this pandemic. Doing complete disinfection and cleaning following an unattended death is the baseline of the process of remediation.
Post-death cleaning services begin their remediation process after an unattended death by way of appropriately getting rid of biomatter safely. When that is done, the cleaning staff will use EPA-rated disinfectants to sanitize and get rid of pathogens and COVID-19, as part of their biohazard cleanup after death.
Decomposing bodies can result in horrible odors as well. Getting rid of odors is just another part that cleaning services can address through remediation help. The goal at 360 Hazardous is putting the needs of the family first. An unattended death cleanup during the COVID-19 pandemic is to sanitize the premises, restore peace of mind, and restore the residence to a condition that is clean and livable once more. Our team of professionals is ready to help you at any time. Call us 24/7 for all your needs, we are here for you.