Post-Mortem care in France: Everything about it

The death of a person leads to the cessation of all vital functions in their body. As a result, the body is no longer supplied with blood, and a certain stiffness sets in. The post-mortem care helps to conceal this aspect, unlike embalming, which slow down the decomposition of the body...

Why perform post-mortem care and who carries it out?

It often involves washing the body, dressing it (choice of outfit by the family), and reducing any degrading or mortuary aspects. Even if no viewing of the body is planned during the funeral, the deceased person must be presentable for their loved ones.

Depending on whether the death occurred in a hospital or care facility, the body will automatically be taken care of by the staff of the establishment. In fact, most of these establishments (hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, etc.) have mortuary rooms suited for embalming.

If the death occurred in a public space, at home, or elsewhere, the body will be transferred, and preservation treatments may be necessary to slow down any deterioration, especially limiting the effects of thanatomorphosis.

Thanatomorphosis is the process by which every human body undergoes the consequences of the cessation of its vital functions. This process is more or less advanced depending on the health conditions of the deceased person and the environment in which the body is kept (temperature, humidity). That's why, after death, the law requires that preservation treatments be performed on the body if it is reserved for a coffin less than 18mm thick or if it is being sent to another country for repatriation (decree 2017). Preservation treatments can take the form of placing the body in a refrigerated container, or by injecting chemical components (a mixture based on formaldehyde) that will delay or at least slow down thanatomorphosis. For more information on embalming, you can consult our guide on this topic.

Moreover, post-mortem care meets obvious hygiene requirements that ensure the smooth progression of the steps following the death (transfer, placing in the casket, viewing, repatriation, etc.).

The protocol: how post-mortem care is carried outin France

In practice, the post-mortem care, which takes less than an hour, is performed as follows:

• Qualified personnel will remove any traces of interventions (bandages, infusions, wounds, drains, catheters, etc.).

• They remove any accessories from the deceased: glasses, watch, jewelry, hearing aids, etc.

• Suture and clean any orifices and wounds (often sources of bacterial proliferation and risk of unexpected leakage).

• Clean the deceased's body, from head to toe, to eliminate any risk of infection.

• Keep the eyes (special lenses) and mouth (a suture) closed.

• Obstruct orifices with cotton (packing).

• Dress the deceased with the clothes chosen by the relatives or the deceased themselves (if final wishes have been written or there is a funeral contract).

• Style the hair and apply light makeup to give a less pallid appearance.

The person performing the post-mortem care should make an inventory of the chosen clothes when presenting the body. This ensures that areas exposed by the clothing are carefully made up (transparent clothing, low necklines, etc.).

This process is naturally more extensive when the body has undergone organ removal, for example. Out of respect, the staff will demonstrate delicacy towards the dignity of the deceased under all circumstances.

These steps can be performed at home, by religious officers, or in a mortuary room by an embalmer whose job is, among other things, to limit the effects of thanatomorphosis. Depending on their beliefs, families can also involve various religious representatives who are skilled in performing specific ritual cleansings. To learn about the specificities of these rites, you can consult our other guide on ritual cleansing processes according to different religions.

The alterations due to surgical interventions, illness, or simply the passage of time will be concealed as much as possible. The final result should show a well-groomed and rested appearance of the deceased. Without this work, the grieving process may be compromised, which can have significant psychological consequences for the affected relatives.