[Starrbelie123]

Heron, I haven't had any luck with dentures either. Pt's gums have usually atrophied so they don't fit any longer. I always make sure they go to the funeral home with the pt. My only tip is don't use denture adhesive! One of our educators tells the story during orientation of the time she tried to put the dentures in and they wouldn't stay in place so she had the bright (or not so bright) idea to use the adhesive. After she got the dentures glued in, the patient's mouth wouldn't close properly and she couldn't get the dentures out because of the adhesive. She even went as far as to call the manufacturer for help! She always has us rolling on the floor when she tells this story and I always smile in the home thinking about it!

[Sabby_NC]

Originally Posted by Starrbelie123

Heron, I haven't had any luck with dentures either. Pt's gums have usually atrophied so they don't fit any longer. I always make sure they go to the funeral home with the pt. My only tip is don't use denture adhesive! One of our educators tells the story during orientation of the time she tried to put the dentures in and they wouldn't stay in place so she had the bright (or not so bright) idea to use the adhesive. After she got the dentures glued in, the patient's mouth wouldn't close properly and she couldn't get the dentures out because of the adhesive. She even went as far as to call the manufacturer for help! She always has us rolling on the floor when she tells this story and I always smile in the home thinking about it!

Hi Starr I always send the dentures with the body.
The gums are usually the first thing to atrophy when the person is losing weight.
They quite often say their teeth don't fit like they used to.

It amazes me with a morbid sense of interest just what they do to the body once it gets to the funeral home. I NEVER knew they wired the mouth shut!

What Heron suggested re the roller towel works well but I never thought of surgilube for the eyes EXCELLENT suggestion.

That was a funny story and a lesson learnt I would think LOL

[hospicemom]

Originally Posted by Ronvalder

I have never heard of a RN or CNA, or anyone doing postmotem care....except a Mortician. A dead human body has to be treated in a certain way. This is what Morticians learn in Mortuary College. Changing a person's clothes after death, washing the body, closing the eyes and mouth are a Mortician's job....not a Nurse!

If you pull too hard on an eyelid and break the skin it will leak for hours after the body is embalmed. A scratch to an arm after death will also leak after embalming. All sorts of dammage that can be done by a well meaning Nurse. Any dammage to the skin after death will be a problem after embalming. Running a brush through someone's hair will leave marks on the scalp....many problems will occur during and after embalming if the body was not cared for by someone who is trained to take care of the dead. Washing, drying, moving arms and legs, closing eyes and mouth are all things that will dammage the tissues.

The correct thing to do is to cover the body with a sheet and call the Funeral Home or the Coroner. You should never fuss with a Coroners Case because you'll destroy evidence.

Nurses care for the sick and dying......Morticians care for the dead!

morticians have wonderful ways of fixing things up when they need to, and MY patients are MY patients until I walk the funeral home out the front door. They dont become the morticians until they are driving MY patients body down the road. SO...I applaud all of you who take pride in caring for the patients 5 minutes after they pass away...the exact same way you would care for them 5 minutes PRIOR to them passing!!!!!!

[redding-er-rn]

Hi all, I just did some checking with our mortuaries about some of the "issues" discussed in this thread. Bathing a pt is something I will always do regardless unless family requests to do themselves or for whatever reason they don't want the person touched afterwards (family wishes). I have had mixed reviews on catheters left in vs. removed. SOme mortuaries prefer to leave it in as not having creats a big mess according to them, others say can remove if we want and are indifferent. I guess it's best to check with your mortuaries on their preference for this sort of thing.