Final Rest: Your Choices for what Happens to Your Body After Death

Did you know that burial and cremation are not the only options you have? Final disposition is the fancy term used for what happens to a body after someone dies - and in Washington state we have several options! Traditional burial, green burial, cremation, alkaline hydrolysis (also known as water cremation), natural organic reduction (also known as human composting or terramation) and body donation (in full or partial) for scientific and/or medical purposes are all legal options. The science behind the newer disposition methods are particularly exciting to me and provide eco-friendlier ways of dying.

If you want a specific final disposition, it is important to set a Designated Agent for Disposition, a person who knows your wishes and will make it happen. This link will take you to a Designated Agent for Disposition form that was recently released through a collaboration between Worry-Free Wednesdays (an end-of-life planning organization) and Brian Flowers of Wildflower Funeral Concepts. It is the most thorough form of its kind in Washington and is free to use.

A Designated Agent for Disposition form is one of the most important pieces of end-of-life planning you can complete. It is especially crucial if there may be conflict over who makes choices about your body and/or final disposition after you die. All pieces of the form can (and should!) be filled out by you before your death. Even if you don’t have a strong preference for your “final rest,” making a decision now, letting your people know and getting everything documented can greatly reduce stress and indecision postmortem.