Do you bag your bodies naked?

[mama_d]

I had a death the other night, and found out that our new policy to save $ on linens is to bag the bodies naked. I flat out refused.

I know she was dead, so it shouldn't really matter whether she had a gown on or not, but it just seemed indecent to me. There was no way I was putting her into a plastic bag without being covered.

I was just curios if other facilities do this...and does it bother most people or am I just being weird?

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

I have sent all my expired patients down to the morgue just in the body bag. Its rare that a family will want to see the person after that and before the funeral. As an ADN I have had one family that requested to see their loved one from the morgue. Security and I prepared the body by placing on a gurney, still in the body bag, i just opened it and folded it back to reveal the head and neck and covered the rest of the body with a clean sheet. I gave the family a little room while they performed what appeared to be religious customs to the body.

I honesly think if i were to see my loved one in a body bag in a gown i'd probably assume there was no clean up done and they were still in the same gown as opposed to the idea they were bathed and put in a new gown. But that's just my take on things...

[billyboblewis]

Perhaps this is a linguistic problem. I send the patient to the morgue in the plastic bag or shroud that is a kit which includes name tags and strings . Gosh have you ever been in the morgue when all these guys decide to party ......

[Cul2]

"this is not a question of dignity since you are technically COVERING the client with the BODY bag... the client is NOT NAKED."

Whether it's a question of "dignity" is not a closed question as you suggest. It's quite open, and it may depend upon how the family feels and cultural considerations. It always amazes me how we fling around words like "dignity" but don't really spend much time discussing them or really delving into what they mean. This is just another of these situations where, if one is going just assume anything, assume that in our culture the family would want the body clothed at least so some degree. If you don't want to assume that, then ask the family how they feel, what they would prefer.

The person is dead and it doesn't matter to him or her. The funeral director may or may not care one way or the other. But, in between the dead body and the funeral director, there is the family. And their opinion counts.

[loriangel14, RN]

Where I work they are sent in a gown and a brief. Anything leaking is covered with a towel and wounds have fresh dresings applied.

[Wicked Wahine]

At my last facility, we bathed and then gave the deceased patient a clean sheet and a clean gown before going into the body bag. The sheet was to make maneuvering the body into the bag a little easier and the gown was just for dignity and was never questioned. Once the body was in the bag, I'd wrap the body in the rest of the blanket, sort of like an adult swaddle. I would be very uncomfortable putting a naked body directly into a body bag.

In reading this thread, I now realize that most of that is based on *my* comfort levels and *my* ideals regarding respect for the patient, etc. It's interesting how many cultural beliefs come into play without us even realizing it.

[nightengalegoddess]

Death represents a lot of things to a lot of people. I personally woudn't mind being naked in a body bag at all; there are plenty of nudists in the world who feel clothing is undignified. But I do think the majority of cultures within the USA at this time feel that clothing is part of dignity. Taking dignity away for the sake of saving money just blows my mind. Welcome to 2011.

[retiredlady]

Gee, if it's me, I want a gown, even though in a body bag. I'm modest in life and in death, lol. And no embalming. Just my feelings :)

[tencat]

Taking dignity away for the sake of saving money just blows my mind. Welcome to 2011.

THATS what is bothering me. A sheet or gown CANNOT cost that much that it needs to be discarded to save pennies for the bean counters.

[leslie :-D]

In reading this thread, I now realize that most of that is based on *my* comfort levels and *my* ideals regarding respect for the patient, etc. It's interesting how many cultural beliefs come into play without us even realizing it.

i totally agree, wicked.

i now believe that many of our reactions, are indeed psychological...

because i couldn't come up with an intelligent retort, when somebody mentioned the family wouldn't even know if their beloved was naked. (i *think* that's what i was responding to.)

that, families typically wish to see the deceased before the pt is placed in the bag.

whatever comment that got me to reconsider, the point being, is i indeed reconsidered.

and i still cringe when thinking about placing a naked body in a bag...

but have promised myself that i'll work on my knee-jerk reaction.:)

leslie

[JBudd, MSN]

Our policy is naked, but then we don't bag until the family has finished saying their goodbyes. The gown isn't going to do anything that the bag doesn't, and will be removed as soon as the body gets to the funeral home.

Now, the folks that take their family member home themselves, (legal here in NM) yes, we leave them dressed.

When my dh died, the last thing on my mind was if there was a gown inside the body bag.

[pedicurn, LPN, RN]

I put a gown on, then bag.

The deceased is not going to have a whole of dignity when they get to the funeral home esp if they are going to be embalmed.

The p't has hopefully been treated with dignity when they are alive - what's wrong with continuing to provide that dignity while they are still in the nurses care? Continuing to provide respect until they leave our care is good

[Wicked Wahine]

The point I forgot to make in my previous post is that even though I know the family members won't know whether or not their loved one is in a gown or sheet or whatever, I know and I just wouldn't feel comfortable not having a deceased patient placed in a body bag without a clean gown and sheet. While obviously a patient's wishes or family's wishes trump my own with something like this, it would be rare that anyone would even state wishes regarding body bag. Therefore, I feel like the gown and sheet is for my comfort and what I feel is appropriate. It's hard to lose a patient, even during end of life care and so I feel like my emotional well being counts too. It makes me feel good to get a deceased patient clean and tidy and in a clean gown and sheet so I can't imagine how I would respond to a facility making a no gown and sheet policy.