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How do you become a whole body donor? What should I know about being a body donor? Is there anything to know about donating your body to science?

What Does My Family Need to Do If I’m Placed on Hospice Care?

Registering your future intent to be a whole-body donor and carrying your MedCure donor card with you is a great way to let your loved ones know your final wishes. But going one step further to make sure your family, friends, and caregivers know exactly what to do when you become terminally ill or at the time of your passing can help take a lot of the stress out of the situation for them. We’ve created a helpful guide for our donors to share with the people in their lives to educate them on what to expect when they call MedCure;

What to Expect and What to Have Ready When You Call MedCure - Body Donor Registry Timeline

Step 1: Eligibility Screening (15 – 20 Minutes)

We’ll ask some screening questions about the donor’s medical and social history to help us determine the donor’s eligibility. While we can’t guarantee acceptance of a donor until after the time of passing, we can begin gathering information once the donor is placed on hospice care or given a life expectancy of 6 months or less. This will make the process much easier on the family at time of death as well as allow us to let the donor and family know if we see any reason the donation may be declined ahead of time.

Step 2: Terms & Conditions (5 Minutes)

We’ll read our Terms & Conditions and have them verbally accepted by the donor. If the donor has already passed, their legal Next of Kin will do this step. We’ll also make sure that the family has access to our required OAR notice, either by mail, email, or fax.

Step 3: Consent Forms (10 – 15 Minutes)

We’ll explain how to correctly fill out our donation consent forms and advise who should fill them out and when. We’ll also arrange to get the forms to the donor or their family. For help in filling out the forms, we have short videos that will guide you through it step-by-step.

Step 4: Next Steps (10 – 15 Minutes)

We’ll go over what happens next: transportation arrangements, death certificates, ashes, and the optional family letter. We’ll also provide timelines for all of these so that the donor family knows when to expect them.

If your loved ones or care givers have additional questions, they can always contact our Donation Coordination team on our 24 hour toll-free number 866-560-2525 to have their questions answered.

 

If you are interested in learning more about whole body donation and the role that it plays in advancing medical science, you can visit us online at medcure.org. Or, you can call our 24/7 toll free number 866-560-2525 to speak with one of our knowledgeable Donation Coordinators.