Planning an ISU Whole-Body Donation Wish During Home Care
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For families in Pocatello
For families in Pocatello, East Idaho: use the resources and practical steps in this guide to plan wanted nonmedical help. Confirm individual requirements and current availability with the responsible provider.
A wish to donate to Idaho State University's anatomical donation program should be discussed with the adult and the responsible care team before it becomes an urgent handoff. The program decides acceptance at death, so a recorded wish and an alternative final-disposition plan both matter.
Bring the wish into the existing care conversation
With the adult's permission, share the current ISU program information with the professionals already responsible for their care. Ask those professionals and the program to clarify their respective notification and retrieval responsibilities alongside the care team's anticipated-death instructions. Do not create a family call order from general website information.
Identify who is actually authorized and willing to make the agreed contacts, where the current instructions will be kept, and how an absent family member will be reached. A nonmedical caregiver can help locate agreed information within their role; they do not acquire authority to determine death, sign donation documents or manage clinical procedures.
Prepare for a decision the family cannot guarantee
Ask ISU what the family and responsible professionals need to understand about its acceptance process. A form or registration is not a promise that donation will proceed. Discuss an alternative arrangement with the appropriate qualified provider so that a declined donation does not leave the family relying on an unmade plan.
Keep personal documents private and share only with the people the adult has authorized. Revisit the handoff if the care setting, responsible professional or contact person changes. Clinical, emergency, legal and body-handling instructions must come from the responsible professionals; this planning conversation does not replace them.
Resources for this decision
- Idaho State University Anatomical Donations
- ISU Anatomical Donor Authorization, current-linked four-page form
- Medicare.gov Hospice care coverage
- National Cancer Institute Last Days of Life (PDQ), Patient Version
For a separate discussion of wanted nonmedical assistance, contact the Pocatello care team or Get Started. Describe the actual location, tasks and timing, and ask the team to confirm what it can provide before relying on a visit.
