Caring for the Decease

It is important that families feel confident leaving their loved one in my care.  On my website there is a page dedicated to explaining how we care for the deceased.  Even though the person has died, they are still your loved one and should be treated with respect.

Managing Transfers

When I need to transfer a person from the hospital, rest home, hospice or home I ensure this is done safely, not just for the person, but anyone else helping.  Over the years you learn techniques to do this as simply and as carefully as possible. 

When I need to transfer a person from the hospital, rest home, hospice, or home, I ensure this is done safely for not only the person but also anyone else helping. Over the years, I have learned techniques to do this as simply and carefully as possible.

Often there are people to assist, or if needed, I have someone with years of experience in rest home care who can help me.  This procedure is not difficult, and I am happy to say that there have been no problems.

At home, to transfer the person into a coffin, I use an electric hoist and straps to lift and lower the person slowly and carefully.  The actual movement of the person is kept to a minimum, and everything is done incredibly safely to ensure no issues occur.

Once the person is in the coffin, I don’t do anything more with them except to use cooling pads for the body. These pads are placed on top of the covers.  This way, they remain undisturbed and safe.

Why don’t we do more, like embalming?

When I first started SDF, my goal was to make the funeral process not only simple but also respectful.  I didn’t want to add complication when it wasn’t needed.  Doing less, to me, is more respectful and less intrusive.

Embalming was never an option that I wanted to offer. Having seen the process behind the scenes, I feel that it is not what I would like. Without getting too graphic, the embalming process requires removing the person’s blood, which is done by cutting two holes on the side of the neck, and then pumping chemicals through the arteries to replace the blood. The blood is disposed of, and the organs need to be filled with this chemical, which is done by inserting a long metal tube through the stomach and stabbing it into each organ.

Personally, I do not like the idea of a loved one’s blood going down the drain. The blood is an essential part of the person, just like the rest of their body. There are other options for families who do not want to embalm their loved one.

Conclusion

Ultimately, I take my care of the people that families have entrusted to me incredibly seriously.  Our handling of the body is limited because we believe that it is our way of showing respect to the person.  The feedback I receive is that more people prefer this option.  They don’t want to be embalmed nor do they want to be handled more than necessary.  Of course this isn’t the case for everyone.  People have different needs, so having options is important.  And this is what SDF is all about – giving people an option.