Consider Anatomical Gifts as an Alternative to Funerals or Cremations

There are lots of reasons to make an anatomical gift of a body. This is usually an alternative to a burial or a cremation Albany. Both for-profit and non-profit organizations exist to accept bodies that are donated to science or medicine. Also, many of these organizations will return the cremated remains to a family member after a certain amount of time has passed. One reason to consider this option is that it usually doesn't cost anything for the family. The other reason is that this gift of a body can help train doctors and advance science.

How Does an Anatomical Gift Work?

These organizations will accept bodies and transport bodies for use by scientists, medical schools, and other similar organizations. There is usually no charge to families for either transporting bodies or accepting bodies. At the end of some period of time, several months to a couple of years, the organizations may even return cremated remains to family members for final disposition.

There are two ways to find organizations that accept bodies for science:

• Some organizations act as body brokers, and they send remains to appropriate facilities.

• Local medical schools may also accept bodies directly from people who live in the area.

What happens to these bodies after they have been used by scientists or doctors? 

They are used either for scientific research or for educational purposes. For example, medical schools use cadavers to help students learn about organs and surgery. Depending upon the organization, donors might have to sign a form that they wish to have the remains back. However, most organizations that accept bodies also have a procedure to return remains after they have been cremated.

Donating a body to science is a worthy act. There really shouldn't be a reason to be embarrassed about choosing this option instead of opting for a traditional burial and funeral. Families can still hold a nice memorial service for their loved one. After the cremated remains get returned, the family can choose to bury them, scatter the ashes, or even keep the ashes in an urn. Of course, it's helpful if this option gets discussed in advance with the loved one before he or she passes away.

Cremation and Burial Options for Poor People

Even though a cremation Albany usually costs a lot less than a burial, some families struggle to pay for that too. Families who belong to a house of worship may be able to ask their pastor about assistance from the congregation or local charitable foundations. However, it's important to realize that there isn't any automatic government that pays for funerals for most people. On the other hand, there are ways to get help paying for burials and cremations.

Ask State or County Social Services for Help With Burials and Cremations

If a church or local foundation isn't an option, a call to a state or county department of social services is in order. In most cases, there is some budget for helping families with a direct burial or cremation. Typically, these programs will not pay for any sort of funeral service. If they do, it will be very minimal. They might also not allow families to contribute towards that on their own. They may assume that if the family has money, it should be used for disposition of the body.

This doesn't prevent families from holding some sort of service later. This could be a private memorial service or church service. This can be a good way to honor a deceased loved one, but it probably just won't be held exactly at the time of burial or cremation.

Non-Charity Options to Help Pay for Cremations

Families who don't care to ask for charity have another good option. Many medical schools and other organizations accept bodies for research and educational uses. In this case, the organization will usually pay to take the body and transport it where it needs to go. Many of these schools and other types of medical organizations will even offer to cremate and return the remains after they have been used for their medical or scientific purpose.

The good part of this plan is that the loved one's body can actually help train a new generation of doctors or help advance science. It also doesn't rely on charity because the donation of the body is very valuable to scientific and medical schools and research bodies.