What happens to people after they die in hospital

Pirate get off this thread.

blondie that post made me well up.

unsureif my Dad dies last year, alone in hospital as he hadn't told anyone he was there. The staff were amazing, so respectful and my family had a sense that the staff treated death with dignity. I hope you find some peace with the answers on this thread.

when my dad died-he was rushed in in an ambulance, with paramedics working on him. We followed behind in a car. we arrived to be told that he was DOA.
What would have happened there? Pirate jones-please don't answer me.

Pirate i think the appropriate thing to do here is to bow out of this. As I always say to my children, an apology is the right thing to do but it doesn't undo or unsay.

And i shouldn't wish it too.
However i really wish people would stop brining it up, becuase keep bringing it up is letting people forget it isn't it.

FGS pirate take it on the chin and leave it.

Sorry for your loss op. x

Not sure where Pirate gets that idea from. Speaking with 28 years experience here, patients were always spoken to with care, and treated with utmost care and dignity.
Why would a nurse suddenly not care? It is also upsetting for the staff if they have spent time with the patient and their relatives, and so a gentle chat, and explanation of what is happening is the norm. Straight after death the body is left for one hour and a window will be opened close by " to set the spirit free". Then they are washed and changed into a shroud, and placed in clean white sheets. Attendants from the morgue then take the body way. When this happens, the other patients doors / curtains are closed to give the deceased privacy.
Unsureif, I hope this help a little bit, I 'm sure your Mum was well looked after.

I've been involved in last offices many times and it's never been as Pirate described. Aren't you the 'cool' one Pirate, being so blunt (and without facts) to somebody who is grieving?!

Oh yes, very cool to upset someone!

i'm now in with the cool crowd.

Finished?

xposted with lots of other nurses I see
We really do, it's not for show. tbh it's impossible not to.

I've been involved in last offices many times and it's never been as Pirate described. Aren't you the 'cool' one Pirate, being so blunt (and without facts) to somebody who is grieving?!
Please ignore her/him op.

We used to give the patient a full bed bath, I always spoken to them as though they could hear me "we are just going to roll you now" etc.
We put them into a clean gown and wrapped them in clean white sheets. The face is loosely covered as we ensure the whole body is securely wrapped up. Another poster mentioned opening the window to let the soul out, this is something we would do where possible, it's a comforting tradition.
The porters come with a special trolley and take the patient to 'Rose Cottage' (I think most places have similar names for it). The bedside curtains/doors of nearby patients are closed to allow for privacy for the deceased patient and to reduce upset - they've often built up bonds with fellow patients.
From there the mortuary staff and bereavement centre take over.

It's all done as respectfully and with as much dignity as possible. They are our patients to the end and it is an privilege for us to deliver this final bit of care for them.

Pirate i think the appropriate thing to do here is to bow out of this. As I always say to my children, an apology is the right thing to do but it doesn't undo or unsay.

OP I have no experience to offer but I hope you can take comfort in happy memories of your mum x

I have NEVER seen a dead person put in a store room in 25 years of nursing. NEVER!

private room / quiet room.... storage room...

yes very blunt very poor choice of words.

Yes, they do talk to them, they talk as they wash them, saying things like "let's just roll you over mrs bloggs, and get a clean sheet on". They treat them as though they are alive and with a lot of care and respect. The porters then come with a trolley, the body has been wrapped in sheets, and is then carefully transferred into the trolley, which has a kid, and is covered with a sheet. Please don't worry, she will have been treated well x

I'm a nurse.
Every time I have washed/laid out someone who has died all the staff still talk to them, - just roll this way Fred, I'll just put this on you Fred etc.
We make sure there are clear labels to identify them and send any valuables to the safe and write down what jewellery they are wearing etc watch or wedding ring.
Then porters take them to the mortuary on a special trolley and the funeral director collects them from there for the funeral/ to go to the chapel of rest at the funeral home.

I work in PICU and we always chat to the kiddies as we washed them
and removed their lines etc. we always move them
To a side room to allow family to have private time. Even if they were there for a long while with no family we would always go in periodically and just say something like (ok wee woman?) probably for our own comfort! But also if the family didn't want the child to be alone we would try as far as possible to have someone in their with them most of the time.

I have NEVER seen a dead person put in a store room in 25 years of nursing. NEVER!

when a lady died in the bed opposite mine, when i was in hospital, the staff placed flowers in her hands. They drew the curtains round everybody's beds so noone could gawk.

Maybe so pirate, but its the way you put your post across. Not nice of you.

I know... funny how people read the post but not the apology underneath.

If it was very busy and your DM had been in a private room then she may have been left for a little while, but not too long. Last Offices are performed which involves washing the body, removing anything like cannula so which the patient may have had to have, placing them in a clean gown, brushing hair, and give clean sheets. I would try and leave them as though they are peacefully sleeping. I ALWAYS talk to my patients while I do this, I often cry a little bit too, especially if I knew the patient well. The very first time I did this as a student nurse I was with a much older nurse who told me that this was the last kind thing that we could do for a patient so it was important to do it as respectfully as possible.
We would phone the porters who bring a special trolley which is a bit like a box that the body can be placed into and a sheet is placed over the top so that to most people they would not be aware that a body would be wheeled past them. We close the doors of the patient bays as the body is being wheeled past as a mark of respect too.
I am so sorry for the loss of you DM

I'm an A+E sister and can 100% reassure you that we do talk to all of our deceased patients. We apologise to them for having to move them as we dress them in a shroud etc.

Yes it was exactly like that with my dad.

Maybe so pirate, but its the way you put your post across. Not nice of you.

I am a nurse and I work in a critical care unit. After someone has died, we wash the body and dress them in fresh linens. They are then transferred to the morgue on a special covered stretcher by the porters. All my colleagues and I talk to them throughout 'Mrs Smith we are just going to wash your face etc etc'. In short we treat them with all the care and respect we would a living person. Usually we have had a few days to get I know them and their families and this is the way that feels right.

Caring for someone up to and after they pass away is often the very last kindness you can do someone so it is important to get right.

Sorry for the loss of your mother. She will have been well looked after.

Very reassuring pirate FFS.

I'm an A+E sister and can 100% reassure you that we do talk to all of our deceased patients. We apologise to them for having to move them as we dress them in a shroud etc.

There is a strict rule that staff don't talk about their private lives or chat whilst dealing with a deceased patient, it's massively disrespectful.

Hope that provides you with a little reassure x

The staff did talk to my df when he died. Don't think they were putting it on for show because I was there. They seemed genuinely caring and respectful. Sorry about your loss op.

We always