Whole Body Donation is an alternative to immediate cremation or traditional burial. When a family chooses Whole Body Donation, they are giving the gift of renewed life to countless others. The benefits of this option can range from furthering medical research to continuing the training and education of medical professionals around the country. Most families who choose this option feel a sense of pride knowing that their loved one made one last contribution to future generations.
Smith Lund Mills has partnered with an Oregon anatomical donation program so we can offer this service to the members of our community. Whole Body Donation is not for everybody; however as a no-cost alternative to traditional burial or cremation options, it may be right for your family.
Your loved one will always be treated with dignity and respect at Smith Lund Mills Funeral Chapel. Our staff will guide you through the donation process and will coordinate transportation. We will gather the necessary information to complete the death certificate, assist your family with writing an obituary and help complete any necessary paperwork.
When the anatomical donation program has completed their work with the donor’s remains, the remaining portion is cremated at a licensed crematory. We will arrange to have your loved ones cremated remains returned back to our Chapel. This usually takes 4-6 weeks to complete.
Though most people are eligible for this program, some requirements do exist that could exclude some donors. The most common reasons people are excluded are communicable disease and severe obesity. However there are certain medical conditions, and circumstance that arise at the time of death, which may also prohibit donation. Please feel free to contact us if you have further questions regarding any of these stipulations.
Expenses that are covered by the whole body donation program include; transportation from the place of death to the facilities, temporary shelter of the remains at the facilities, transportation to the anatomical facility, filing of the Death Certificate and necessary permits, and returning a portion of the cremated remains to the family. We will also notify the Social Security Administration, assist the family with claiming veterans benefits and help survivors with the creation of the obituary and will place the donor’s obituary on our website, with photographs, at no additional expense. We would also like to invite surviving family members to our annual holiday memorial service in December.
Certified death certificates, obituaries in newspapers, memorial services, cemetery property for the permanent placement of the cremated remains and other memorial merchandise are not covered by the Whole Body Donation option. These choices would be an additional expense to the family and can be explained thoroughly by a funeral director.
For people who have an interested in this program as a form of pre-planning, we recommend contacting us directly. We can help the donor determine if they pre-qualify. It is important to note that the donor must still qualify, with a secondary assessment, at the time of death. However, getting pre-qualified is the first step in eligibility and determining if this program is right for you.
At Smith Lund Mills we understand that choosing to make anatomical donations is a very personal decision, and we want you to feel comfortable with your decision. Whole Body Donation is a program that allows donors to keep giving after death, while simultaneously reducing the financial burdens on their family. If you would like more information on this program, please give us a call at 541-942-0185.