DEAR ABBY: This may be a dumb question, but I don't have the answer. If my elderly roommate dies (of old age) during the night, who do I call the next morning -- his doctor at a big, impersonal HMO, the county coroner or the cremation society of which he is a prepaid member? He has no living relatives. -- ANXIOUS ROOMIE IN SAN FRANCISCO
DEAR ANXIOUS: Your question is not "dumb." In the event that someone dies at home, the police should be notified so they can be sure the person passed away of natural causes.