Whole Body Donation Blog

Someone has just passed away and you are just beginning to consider what to do next. You may be thinking of a funeral. Which is natural since it's the first thought to enter most people's minds when someone passes. You may consider cremation or whole body donation as an alternative to a funeral. If either of the latter sound like something you and your family may be interested in then this is what you need to do.

1. Contact us as soon as possible. A donation can only be accepted if we are contacted within 24-72 hours of death (depending on location). Our protocols are very tight with regards to time and donor's must be taken into our care as soon as possible.  This is addressed on a case by case basis. Discuss your loved ones decision to donate or the decision of the next of kin (once someone has already passed only the next of kin may consent to the donation) to donate with your family. If everyone or the majority of the members in a class are in agreement we can prcoeed. The class order is as stated in the Federal Statute of The Anatomical Gift Act. The order is: spouse, adult children, parents, siblings, legal guardian or legal representative (executor, executrix of estate). Your family must be informed of this choice and should be in agreement.
2. DO NOT contact a funeral home or mortuary service no matter what the hospital or nursing home or hospice tells you. We will arrange all transportation and paperwork through our local representative working on our behalf.  DO advise your loved one's care provider that you are working through Life Quest Anatomical to make an anatomical donation. The name and direct number for the attending doctor and nursing supervisor would be a tremendous help for when we start the case and contact the care provider.
3. If your loved one passes at home you must call the police for pronouncement. The police will advise you, based on the circumstances, what will need to be done next. They may call the coroner or medical examiner to pronounce or they might do so themselves. If it is determined the death was under suspicious circumstances an autopsy will likely be ordered and in this event would cancel the donation. Once the donor is pronounced notify our office immediately and we will then dispatch a local mortuary service to take the donor into our care.
4. Be prepared with vital personal information such as: date of birth, social security number, place of birth, parents names (mother's maiden name), educational status (highest grade completed), marital status, type of employment, veteran of the armed forces (incuding discharge papers. if your state offers free death certificates, we will research this and advise you of your options and take care of all paperwork.), a brief medical interview for medical history. The accuracy of the information provided helps to determine the research and or educational projects the donor will be placed with to support medical education.
5. Forms are available for download by clicking here  We can also fax or email forms to you based on your preference. In order to take the donor into our care as quickly as possible we will need signed consent forms. The LQA representative assisting you will give you a fax number or email to send the completed forms to. The federal statute which we follow in strict accordance lists the order of next of kin as: spouse, adult children, parents, siblings, legal guardian or executor/executrix of the will. This order must be followed for the donation to be legal. If you or your family have questions about the legal next of kin order please contact us for assistance.

Our program is designed to take control of the calls, the arrangements, the logistics, the paperwork and the stresses of managing the death of a loved one. A Life Quest Anatomical representative will walk you and your family through every step of the donation process and ensure  all paperwork is filed quickly and correctly the first time to assure prompt delivery of death certificates to your family. Our job is not done until we have taken care of the donor and their family by keeping our promise to match the donor with projects that support medical science for the betterment of humankind. We must also ensure that cremated remains are quickly returned to families who choose to have returns. We feel so strongly about the importance of body donation we also have a memorial page we hope you will visit. We feel donor's who have donated to Life Quest should have a place where they can be acknowledged and remembered for the legacy they leave and in so doing give more depth and meaning to the imprtance of body donation.

www.lifequestanatomical.com

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