‘It would be quite good if there was somewhere that just did everything’: perspectives on death administration following a bereavement

Abstract

‘Death administration’ is a term used to describe the wide range of tasks which must be completed after a loved one has died, such as registering the death and obtaining a death certificate. This involves fulfilling a complex set of time-sensitive procedures during a period of often intense vulnerability, which further compounds the stress and upset felt when grieving. Using data from a qualitative study exploring people’s experiences of carrying out tasks related to death administration in the UK, this article seeks to demonstrate some of the problems inherent within the process. In doing so, it highlights some of the ways that the unavoidable challenge of completing death administration can be made less burdensome, both physically and emotionally, for those tasked with its undertaking. As such, this paper offers new insights into an aspect of being bereaved that is currently overlooked, but in much need of improvement.