A new morgue is opened in Malm – what happens between death and burial?

The deceased will be laid to rest into a beautiful position, the eyes are closed, wet pads are placed over them. The chin can be tied lightly and a white sheet is pulled over it, a flower can be placed next to the chest.

When a person dies in a hospital, it is the head doctor of Helsinki Hospital in Finland Laura Pikkarainen according to a very uniform way of placing the deceased for the farewell of the relatives.

It’s not just about practice, it’s about principle. According to Pikkarainen, this can be seen, for example, in the fact that the body is not left exposed, that it is not carried from one place to another, and that the position is kept calm and intact throughout the journey.

After death, a phase begins that relatives often know little about, but at every point of which the message should be conveyed that a person deserves to be treated with dignity even after life ends.

City of Helsinki opens after May Day for Malmi new storage facilities for the deceased. For Pikkarai, their essence is not only that there is more space, but that the deceased can be treated better.

Next to the entrance runs the stone-built Tuonela stream. The gray stone building smells of fresh wood, and a pool of water can be seen from the lobby window.

In the building there are five funeral towers and 300 storage places. According to Pikkarainen, the most important thing is automation, which reduces lifting and turning.

“The less unnecessary processing there is, the more valuable the journey continues,” says Pikkarainen.

The new premises meet a practical need. The number of deaths in Helsinki is predicted to increase by about 25 percent by 2040. At the same time, the need for places where the dead can be properly stored is growing.

The deceased usually leaves the hospital unnoticed. The doctor declares death, and the deceased is transferred to the hospital’s own morgue.

At home and in nursing homes, the doctor visits first. After that, the journey continues to cold storage, often to Malmi in Helsinki.

At that point, the deceased disappears from the family’s sight and enters the system, which is supposed to take care of him until the funeral home picks him up for the last journey.

Malmilla reception is stripped down and precise. The hearse brings the deceased in with a steel laver. Identity is verified from the identification bracelet, the information is recorded in the system and the system indicates the location in the cold room.

At this stage, almost nothing visible is done to the deceased. He is not undressed or dressed again, but remains in the clothes and blankets he came in.

Routine washing is no longer done, although the body is cleaned if necessary. However, the building has facilities for the relatives, where the deceased can be washed if they wish.

Dressing takes place later, when an employee of the funeral home comes with the clothes chosen by the relatives.

In storage nothing is dramatic, but everything is final.

The deceased rests in the cold, around five degrees, waiting to be buried or cremated.

According to Pikkarainen, it is also important that the system shows for sure whether the deceased has already been taken to the grave.

“Relatives don’t always know where their loved one is between death and burial. In the new system, you can see where the deceased is at all times,” he says.

The time between death and burial is not strictly regulated. According to the Funeral Services Act, the deceased should enter the grave without delay.

Keeping it cool slows down the body’s transformation, but does not stop it. Therefore, burial or cremation must take place in a reasonable amount of time. According to Pikkarainen, storage for more than four weeks should be avoided. The instruction of the Church Board the target time for grave blessing and burial is two to three weeks after death.

Before the burial, one more medical procedure may sometimes take place. If corneas can be taken from the deceased for donation, it is done in storage facilities.

According to Pikkarainen, the cornea is the only organ that can be donated for another 72 hours after death. The procedure must be performed by someone from Husin Silmäpanki.

When one person’s life has ended, but their body can still help another see.

Folks visitors often say goodbye to the deceased after he has been dressed and moved into the coffin. According to Pikkarainen, the relatives can meet him in as calm a situation as possible.

For Pikkarainen, the new facilities mean above all that the intermediate phase after death is not just storage and transfer. It is also a time that belongs to the deceased and his relatives.

“This is the most valuable and equal space for all the deceased to wait for burial,” Pikkarainen says.