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Since we are chewing on the ins and outs of dying in Costa Rica….does anyone know which mortuary in Heredia (or elsewhere) does cremations?
If someone dies at home, what is the procedure for death certificates and transfer of remains to the correct mortuary? This information is needed as part of our end of life planning….thanks!
I believe one of the biggest is:
[ http://www.jardinesdelrecuerdo.co.cr/ ]
Their website covers creation (in Spanish) at:
[ http://www.jardinesdelrecuerdo.co.cr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15&Itemid=21 ]
And at:
[ http://www.jardinesdelrecuerdo.co.cr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19&Itemid=25 ]
… they speak about how they handle the “tramites” (Trámites ante el Registro Civil, así como asesoría y papeleo para trámites del Seguro Social.) but of course I don’t know if those are acceptable to the US authorities.
They also have a “Fondos de Vida” plan where you can send them money each month so that over time, you gradually cover the expenses that will be required.
Central telefónica: 2222-9022 l Tel. Planes a Futuro: 2257-8282
Scott
FYI – I have deleted two postings from this thread – referring to the assassination of Osama Bin Laden – which I considered to be in very poor taste.
Scott
a few yrs ago we were in a van going from one airport to another ..we shared with 3 people who were crying and using cell phone non-stop…turns out the husband/brother of these people had died while on vacation in CR…the problem was getting body back to US!! can you imagine the horrors of trying to return your loved ones body home and dealing with details needed to do this. i will never forget that 1/2 ride..EVER
From what I gather, since embalming is not common, nor is cremation, I understand that burial usually takes place within 24 hours. And unless you die in a hospital, an autopsy is mandatory.
if you want to be cremated here there is usually an autopsy unless, as you said, you croak in the hospital. they don’t want anything coming back to haunt them about cause of death after you’re cremated. and yes, they bury you within 24 hours, sometimes the same day — say you die at 7 a.m., the funeral will often be in the afternoon. hardly time to process the whole event. there was a gringo named Bruce Jacobs — a funeral director from the States — who was going to move down here and set up shop dealing with shipping gringo remains back to the home country. seems like an awful big expense and a lot of hassle. i remember someone telling me once that it was going to cost $8000 to ship a body to the States. way too much money to spend on a dead person. what’s a really hard concept to grasp here is how they bury you — it’s like a crypt condo — they take the top off and inside is a crypt with shelves and there can be 6 to 8 people in there and then after 3 years, the bones get moved, where i don’t know, to make room for others. grim topic, eh???
Well a grim topic, but sure am glad to have this information. End of life planning is crucial because we are all headed the same direction. If someone dies at home (and cremation is desired) what official should be called? Should we first contact our doctor? Do they help?
We have also heard some horror stories about folks who were unprepared and the lack of planning caused so much extra grief to the survivors.
We also are asking trusted friends to be our “interim” representatives in case we both go at the same time. That way our only child has some help if the worst were to occur.
Keep in mind that some insurances cover all or part of “repatriazation”. You might check with John McGee, one of this sites preferred specialists. Another option is donating yourself to the University.
Funny how we maintain the illusion of ownership of things, including our bodies, even after death. Possession is 9 tenths of the law, they say but there is a subtle and single difference between ownership and possession…. which death seems to clarify pretty well.
Interesting Topic:
next of KIN comes to mind and my wife has all the instructions and legal paperwork on how to dispose of this carbon copy and SHE has her’s
we all seem to be “GOOD” at planning a wedding, birthday, marriage but fail “poorly” on planning the death of ourself
we tend to do more research when buying a $20,000 car or a $150,000 housemake a living WILL, it is one of the most important piece of paper that will execute everything after you are gone [b]FOREVER[/b]
I’m a firm believer in living wills and have one in the States, but before anyone undertakes to write one here, it would be advisable to consult a knowledgeable Costa Rican attorney. A living will created in the U.S. will be given little attention here.
What I recall from discussing this with our attorney is that there is no living will law, no “right to die”, in Costa Rica. An attending physician may follow a patient’s wishes, but the requirements are rather specific. My attorney said that the living will must be in the patient’s own handwriting (not typed), that it must have been created recently, and that it be witnessed. Then, the doctor may follow the patient’s wishes.
It certainly could never hurt to write up a living will and have it on hand should the need arise, but there is no guarantee of compliance.
Death is not important. Living is. What happens to my carcass is of no concern to me. I would prefer it to be useful in someway which is not macabre, such as plant food, but not as a medical tool. Either way, it will be no concern of mine since I won’t be around.
I don’t understand why people are so concerned with such matters. It makes sense to presume ownership (exclusive rights of use)of your body when you are alive. But after you have died, it is silly to presume ownership or even possession of what was your corpse. All things in the world, everything, is just being used for a period of time. Some of it is exclusive use for life, some of it is partial and temporary. The disposition of the corpse is a matter for he living. The living cultural customs of Costa Rica, or any other place, are what matters and what should be respected.
David;
there is no compliance when you die
just whatever is cheaper for my family to dispose of me body however they want to do it
they have the last say so at the end and not YOU or ME
Our family agrees with the cheaper the better. What you have done in life and what you leave behind is your “monument”.
There are several organizations in the U.S. that will pickup your body for medical research and return the “cremains” (ashes) a few weeks later. The one we used is an outfit called ScienceCare. See ScienceCare.com.
They claim the only expense is the UPS shipping of the ashes but neither time that we have used this service has there been any charge whatsoever. All that was required is a phone call, answering a few questions and it was done. They arrange pick up the same day, forward death certificates, the whole works. It almost sounds too good to be true but both my Mother and a good friend have used this service.
We contacted local US hospitals about donation and they wanted paperwork filled out months in advance and made the whole thing a big deal. IF the remains get as far as a funeral home in the US you WILL NOT be given the cheap options. We also contacted a local cremation society and their fees were significant ($1000 if pre paid years ago .. ).
I’m sure Costa Rica has its own quirks. A friend was asked to get involved in manufacturing burial caskets in Costa Rica. At first he thought they were talking about fine wood work using local hardwoods . . . a LONG way from it! The boxes were to be made of the cheapest chip board and retail for about $200 US (with a LOT of markup for the undertaker). A chip board casket in a tropical environment is about like using a cloth sack. Its going to disintegrate rapidly. Which may be the purpose.
For many of us the question is how to avoid having your next of kin in the US (children, grandchildren) being burdened with possible expenses or dealing with the bureaucracy in this matter.
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