Preplanning your funeral is a way to ease the burden on your surviving loved ones. One of the things that you'll need to decide at this time is what you want done with your body. Burial and cremation are two common options, but a third choice may be appealing to you. Some people opt to have their bodies donated to science. The body will then be used for training by medical students at a local medical school or hospital. If this option sounds interesting to you, there are a number of reasons why it's worth your consideration. Here are some things to know about taking this approach.

It's Free

Unlike having your body buried or cremated, there is no cost to having your body donated to science. This means that if you don't have a lot of money or you simply want to save as much money as possible to leave to your family, donating your body to science may be an enticing option for you. Generally, you'll want to ask around to certain medical schools in your area to confirm that there's no cost, but this is typically the case.

You Can Still Have A Funeral

You shouldn't think that because your body won't be present, a funeral is out of the question. Just as those who opt for burial or cremation may have conventional funeral services, you can, too. When you work with a funeral home, like Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, to preplan your arrangements, you just need to make sure that you are clear about your wishes. A funeral can still proceed even without a body; you don't need to worry that a casket or a cremation urn won't be present. Alternatively, if you don't want a funeral service immediately after your death, you may opt for a memorial service later on. Some people favor this option.

Some Medical Programs Will Arrange Cremation Afterward

After the students have used your body for their training and studies, it needs to be disposed of in a respectful manner. Medical schools will customarily arrange to have the body cremated afterward. You'll want to speak to a representative of the medical school you're considering to find out how to proceed after cremation. Some schools will have the ashes scattered at a local cemetery, for example. If you want your family to pick up the cremated remains to keep or scatter in a special area later on, you'll need to make this intention clear.

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