Viewing deceased 20 days after death??

charlies-aunt

The fridges in Hospital Mortuaries are less subject to temperature fluctuations than the ones at Funeral Homes so preservation is slightly better.

As another poster has already said, any open soft tissue wounds rapidly putrify. Once death has occurred, doctors do not "tidy" the bodies up - they are sent to the mortuary and subsequently to the Funeral Home exactly as they were at death - with open incisions - intubation, catheters, stoma bags and IV lines are all left in situ - incision closure, removal of tubes, pacemakers and IV lines are done when the body is prepared by the mortician at the Funeral Home.

Not all bodies are embalmed nowadays - because most bodies are buried or cremated within a week of death and it is an expensive procedure which adds to the huge costs. If the body is in advanced state of decomposition, it is placed in a body bag and sealed as it is a hazard to health.

A professional Funeral Director will have made every attempt to make this lady viewable - if appropriate, the coffin can be fully draped with a gauze veil so that the features can be glimpsed hazily with the viewing room heavily prepped with odour neutralising agents - could OP speak to the FD to see if this is a possibilty?

My husband is a mortician {he works for an independant funeral directors NOT the Co-Op} and his experience, some bodies can start to turn green within 24 hours of death and will certainly be so 20 days after.

All this said, if her husband is determined to view, he cannot be prevented but generally the advice of the FD should be followed

Where my husband works, if the FD recommends no viewing - they invite the family member to sit with the closed coffin in the chapel of rest to enable them to be together with their loved one to say their last goodbyes without the trauma of viewing

Torry_Quine

adelight wrote: »

In the UK 2+ weeks isn't that unusual, especially if there were complications or family need to travel for the funeral.

OP think you really need to find out if they were embalmed and if the friend understands what his wife may look like.

Not here it isn't. Most funerals are definately in the next week, usually 3 or 4 days. The only time it was over two week was in England when an inquest was needed.

OP - this is a very difficult situation and only the funeral director can fully advise him

C_Mababejive

Apologies..I have a weird sense of humour and this thread brought this sketch to mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKBYLjRHa4E

20 days downline,it isnt going to look good..

Person_one

charlies-aunt wrote: »

Once death has occurred, doctors do not "tidy" the bodies up - they are sent to the mortuary and subsequently to the Funeral Home exactly as they were at death - with open incisions - intubation, catheters, stoma bags and IV lines are all left in situ - incision closure, removal of tubes, pacemakers and IV lines are done when the body is prepared by the mortician at the Funeral Home.

Not exactly as they were at death. The nurses will do last offices, they'll wash the body, comb the hair, spigot any lines or tubes, redress oozing wounds, pack the mouth, tape the eyes, and dress the body in a shroud. We also tape any significant jewellery such as wedding rings or rosaries.

We don't just shove them in a body bag and send them away bloody and messy.

Tiddlywinks

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Apologies..I have a weird sense of humour and this thread brought this sketch to mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKBYLjRHa4E

20 days downline,it isnt going to look good..

Not sure the 'weird sense of humour' is really appropriate given the sensitive nature of the original post.

rollnchips

Reading this thread it seems like you all think it's the norm to have open coffins or viewings. There is a massive difference between seeing the person or discovering the person when they have just died, in comparison to artificially preserving their vanity via chemicals, scents and cosmetics.

I don't think preserving the person like that and having an open coffin gives the deceased the respect and dignity that as a human they deserve.

NickyBat

What a sad thread. Poor old boy may not realise how bad she is now and if they have been together for a very long time this is probably all that is keeping him going is the thought of seeing her again.

charlies-aunt

Person_one wrote: »

Not exactly as they were at death. The nurses will do last offices, they'll wash the body, comb the hair, spigot any lines or tubes, redress oozing wounds, pack the mouth, tape the eyes, and dress the body in a shroud. We also tape any significant jewellery such as wedding rings or rosaries.

We don't just shove them in a body bag and send them away bloody and messy.

Person_one - I respectfully salute and thank you for the care and attention that you and your colleagues give to the last offices, it speaks highly of your high standards, personal integrity and professionalism.

Sad to say that your hospital is the exception to the general rule, is yours a private hospital? - my husband collects bodies from NHS hospitals throughout the UK and he has never received a body prepared in this way, they are merely wrapped in a sheet before being sent to the mortuary.

Person_one

charlies-aunt wrote: »

Person_one - I respectfully salute you for the care and attention that you and your colleagues give to the last offices, it speaks highly of your high standards, personal integrity and professionalism.

Sad to say that your hospital is the exception to the general rule, is yours a private hospital? - my husband collects bodies from NHS hospitals throughout the UK and he has never received a body prepared in this way, they are merely wrapped in a sheet before being sent to the mortuary.

Its been the standard at the two NHS hospitals I've worked in so far, different trusts. I don't think its the exception at all:
http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-specialisms/end-of-life-and-palliative-care/carrying-out-last-offices-part-1-preparing-for-the-procedure/1852558.article

http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-specialisms/end-of-life-and-palliative-care/carrying-out-last-offices-part-2-preparation-of-the-body/1872056.article

With all due respect to your husband, does he realise that by the time a body has been on the ward for several hours for the family's benefit and then in the mortuary for a time there will likely be unavoidable leaking of body fluids and oozing from orifices and wounds (that's why we dress wounds, pack nostrils, put incontinence pads on etc.) and thats what he's seeing, rather than neglect by the hospital staff?

Torry_Quine

rollnchips wrote: »

Reading this thread it seems like you all think it's the norm to have open coffins or viewings. There is a massive difference between seeing the person or discovering the person when they have just died, in comparison to artificially preserving their vanity via chemicals, scents and cosmetics.

I don't think preserving the person like that and having an open coffin gives the deceased the respect and dignity that as a human they deserve.

Although I have viewed relatives after death I've never been to a funeral with an open coffin. I really didn't think open coffins happened here.

charlies-aunt wrote: »

Person_one - I respectfully salute you for the care and attention that you and your colleagues give to the last offices, it speaks highly of your high standards, personal integrity and professionalism.

Sad to say that your hospital is the exception to the general rule, is yours a private hospital? - my husband collects bodies from NHS hospitals throughout the UK and he has never received a body prepared in this way, they are merely wrapped in a sheet before being sent to the mortuary.

Before being wrapped in a sheet last offices are performed as described by Person_one. At least they always are at my local NHS hospital and I would be shocked if different elsewhere. I always considered it a great privelege as it is the last thing you can do for someone and I always washed them as carefully as before death and even spoke to them.:o Are you really saying that this doesn't happen and after death nothing is done, surely they often need at least cleaned before the relatives see them in hospital.

It was one of the first things I was taught when I started work