Funeral Consumers Alliance of Western Pennsylvania (formerly Pittsburgh Memorial Society)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

IS EMBALMING NECESSARY?
	Almost never. A few states have laws requiring it when death has been from particular infectious diseases or in cases in which the body must be shipped out of the state. Generally refrigeration after 24-48 hours is sufficient.
WHAT IS CREMATION?
	It is the reduction of the body to ashes and bone fragments through the application of intense heat for a period of from two to four hours.
IS A CASKET REQUIRED FOR CREMATION?
	No. A casket is never required for cremation. Most crematories,however, do require that the body be encased in some kind of rigid container. The Federal Trade Commission Rule of 1984 requires that undertaking establishments make available an unfinished wooden box or a similar inexpensive cremation container. Customers may furnish their own containers.
WHAT DOES THE FCA/WP LOGO SIGNIFY?
	The chambered nautilus, a symbol of transition from one stage of being to the next, is memorialized in the Oliver Wendell Holmes poem of the same name. The final stanza of the poem reads:  Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, As the swift seasons roll! Leave thy low-vaulted past! Let each new temple, nobler than the last, Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, Till thou at length art free, Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!
WHAT ARE THE LOWEST CURRENT PRICES FOR FCA MEMBERS IN THE PITTSBURGH AREA?
	At the present time, the Funeral Consumers Alliance's lowest negotiated price for cremation is under $500; for burial, including a simple casket, $725.
WHAT DOES THE FAMILY DO AT TIME OF DEATH?
	At the time of death a family member or representative notifies the funeral director of record and services are performed in accordance with the documented wishes of the deceased.
IF WE WANT TO CHANGE FUNERAL DIRECTORS, WHAT DO WE DO?
	There is a small fee ($10.00 per person) for changing designated funeral directors. The Funeral Consumers Alliance/WP office sends a new set of forms which the member completes and returns. Payment can be made by check.
WE ARE MOVING TO ANOTHER PART OF THE COUNTRY. CAN WE TRANSFER OUR MEMBERSHIP?
	Yes. There is a Directory of Memorial Societies in the United States that contains the names and addresses of all the memorial societies. The Funeral Consumers Alliance of Western Pennsylvania will confirm your membership if the other society requires it. The natIonal Funeral Consumers Alliance has a list of affiliates on its site.
HOW CAN ONE DONATE EITHER THE ENTIRE BODY OR SPECIFIC ORGANS FOR TRANSPLANT OR SCIENCE?
	An anatomical gift can be given either through the donation of organs, tissue, and corneas for transplant or as a whole-body donation for science. Donation for transplant and whole-body donation for science are different and handled through two unrelated organizations. Anyone wishing to donate organs, tissue, and corneas for transplant may put the donor designation on his/her driver's license or state ID. If an individual has special wishes for what he/she wishes to donate, this information can be included on a donor card. Donors should carry the card and inform family members of their wishes. At the time of death, a representative from the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) will speak to the next-of-kin if there is potential for donation. Once consent for donation is acquired, hospital surgeons and CORE's recovery team will recover organs, tissue, and corneas in a sterile operating room. There is no cost to the donor. Donors may still have an open-casket viewing following donation if they wish. One organ, tissue, and corneal donor can help between 200 and 400 people. Contact FCAWP or CORE for a donor card or call 800-DONORS-7 for information. Whole-body donation is another option for those who seek to give anatomical gifts. To donate the entire body to science, Pennsylvania residents over 18 should contact the Humanity Gifts Registry at P.O. Box 835, Philadelphia, PA, 19105 or call 215-922-4440. Donors are asked to complete Uniform Donor Cards, available from FCAWP or the Humanity Gifts Registry. It is important to make these arrangements before death and discuss this decision with family members. The receiver of total body gifts in western PA is the Anthony Musmanno Funeral Home, 700 7th Street, McKees Rocks, PA 15136, 412-331-0900. At the time of death of a whole-body donor, the next-of-kin should call Musmanno Funeral Home immediately. After the medical school has used the body, it will be cremated and buried along with other donors in Pittsburgh at Mt. Calvary Cemetery. Potential donors -- whether of organs, tissue, corneas or the whole body -- should be aware that registration does not guarantee your gift will be used. Donor suitability is determined on a case-by-case basis based on medical criteria at the time of death. Bodies will not be accepted for scientific purposes if organs or tissue have been recovered for transplant. Therefore, it is important to decide whether it is of greater benefit to humanity to give the entire body to a medical school or give parts to individuals whose lives depend on this gift. In either case, it is important for members to talk with their families about donation, decide on funeral arrangements, and register those arrangements with FCAWP and a participating funeral director.




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