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?

[vald96]

oh! NO...DIGNITY AND RESPECT IS THE LAST THING THAT YOU WILL SERVE TO THAT HUMAN BEING...if i have to pay for the gown i will....

[annister]

In my personal experiences with post mortem care, I treat my patients' bodies no differently than I had when they were alive (aside from zipping them up in plastic bags, lol.) I'm pretty certain that my motivation for doing so lies in that it makes ME feel that I am showing respect to those receiving such care-family included. If your actions lead to your feeling that you treated those involved with respect and dignity, then you most likely have. For me, that requires handling the person as I did when they were alive, and dressing them in a clean gown before placing them into a bag; for others, it may require something different.

I have no concrete evidence, nor do I have any desire, to justify my way being the right way in this kind of situation. Everyone knows what they say about good intentions, however in this case I think that good intentions are ultimately important in determining the appropriateness of one's actions. The intention of saving a buck or two, without consideration for the feelings of anyone affected, does not seem right to me. Furthermore, I avoid doing anything based on the notion that "no one will ever know, therefore it doesn't matter", as you could replace bagging someone naked with any number of unfavorable actions. That's a whole other topic in itself!

[canigraduate]

According to my beliefs, a body is an empty shell whose inner soul has departed. I was taught, and still believe, that to show respect to the dead, you do not treat the body as if it were still alive, because that is disrespectful to the freed soul. I treat the body as though it were an object, clean it, and place it into the bag naked because it has no need for the gown. I usually say a little prayer for the soul, though.

[roeth]

When I first started out by volunteering in the intensive care unit, one of the techs asked if I wanted to help him prepare a body to be bagged. I agreed. We put a brief on him, left the original gown he was in, covered any wounds, and wrapped a plastic bag around his head in case anything came up through the mouth. It was my first experience with this and I was kind of thrown off with the bag over the head. When my family member passed away at home, I wanted to stay as he was taken away to the mortuary. It was an odd experience for me, but I needed it. He was fully clothed with a brief. I would rather keep a body clothed out of respect. Personal preference.

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

I always put a fresh gown on them, I think its more dignified.

After all, we bury the deceased in clothes. Even if they are being cremated with no viewing, they are dressed. My mother was dressed in a very nice outfit before she was cremated.

If the body is just an empty shell as so many people have stated, why don't we bury them naked?

[RescueNinja]

Good for you! I would have refused as well. I, like other posters, ALWAYS leave at least a gown on the body and usually change it to a clean one after we clean up the body a bit.

[carrotstix]

The last baby I did post mortem on got swaddled in a blanket and wore a hat (she had a congenital defect) The family kissed her goodbye and I held her until the paperwork was ready for her to go to the morgue. We have little infant caskets that are plastic and have a printed cloth lining that is lace around the edges. There is a little pillow all built in. Before you put the top on she looked as though she was sleeping in a little basinette and I firmly believe that is how it should be for a precious baby.

But I thought I was weird because I didnt feel comfortable leaving her body by itself after she had passed. I felt like I had to be with it, to protect it. Which made it so awful to leave her in the morgue

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

According to my beliefs, a body is an empty shell whose inner soul has departed. I was taught, and still believe, that to show respect to the dead, you do not treat the body as if it were still alive, because that is disrespectful to the freed soul. I treat the body as though it were an object, clean it, and place it into the bag naked because it has no need for the gown. I usually say a little prayer for the soul, though.

This just illustrates the fact that we all have different beliefs about death, dying, etc. and what defines "treating someone with dignity" is going to differ from person to person. There really is no ONE RIGHT answer here as far as what is the "right" thing to do. A lot of different things play into it.

At my facility, we do not send the patient to the morgue in their hospital gown. Rather, we have a kit that comes with a shroud, as well as a chin strap (which I always thought was kind of macabre-reminds me of when the ghost of Marley visits Scrooge in the musical version of Scrooge-a scary scene).

I think we all operate with our own cultural and religious leanings in these kinds of situations, even when we try to leave that out of it. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's best not to judge others who may believe differently. They, after all, are working within THEIR own cultural and personal framework, so who is to say who is "right?"

[leslie :-D]

After all, we bury the deceased in clothes. Even if they are being cremated with no viewing, they are dressed. My mother was dressed in a very nice outfit before she was cremated.

If the body is just an empty shell as so many people have stated, why don't we bury them naked?

that's a great question, and look forward to hearing others answers.

leslie

[pedicurn, LPN, RN]

I think it helps to make an informed judgement re what the deceased would have prefered.

For example - I recently had an elderly lady who passed and it think it was safe to assume she would have liked to have a gown on.

I got to know the family a little and the lady was quite conservative.

[nursel56]

I had no idea there was such an amount of controversy over this subject because of the fact that since we know that the corporeal state of the departed can't feel discomfort, all that is left is the respect and dignity issue, and I know mortuaries have rules about how remains are handled, and there are no family present at that time either.

One of my parents owned a small "ashes scattered at sea" business, which included trips without family present. I accompanied them on one trip out in the Pacific, and when we got to the area one parent picked up the boxes to "scatter" which was actually dumping the ashes with a shaking motion and head turned to the side with an "ew" face while they fanned the dust away from their face. I was horrified by it and was told that well, B- the other partner would stop, slowly empty the ashes into the water, read the 23rd Psalm, and say a little prayer even when no family was there, and wasn't that silly? I don't know, they all had a name on them and were somebody's loved one. Lots of food for thought there. Maybe it was silly but I felt grateful on behalf of the family I would never meet.

[srerrn2]

I have worked in ER's for many years and we do clean up the patient as much as we can. We then place a clean gown on the patient and a fresh sheet on them before closing the body bag. It may take a few extra minutes but the dead deserve this respect no matter what the situation.