Disposing of Your Loved One’s Things After Death

At a Peoria, AZ funeral home, we understand how hard it can be to part with your loved one’s things after they die. While you may not be able to even tackle this task right away, at some point you will find that it’s time and that this is a critical step in the next chapter of your life without your loved one.

There are many worthy causes and foundations that can benefit greatly by the donations you can make of your loved one’s things. We will discuss a few possibilities for you to think about as you decide how best to give away your loved one’s possessions that don’t have sentimental value or that you simply can’t use or don’t need. 

If your loved one wore glasses, you will likely want them to have glasses on during the viewing and the funeral, because that’s what people were used to see your loved one wear. However, you can ask the funeral director to remove your loved one’s glasses before burial and donate them (as well as spare pairs) to the Lions Recycle for Sight program. Lions International will clean and distribute, at no charge, the glasses you donate to communities throughout the United States where they are most needed. Your loved one can help someone else have better vision just by this simple donation. 

Similarly, if your loved one wore hearing aids, make sure you remove them before the body is transported to the funeral home. Buying hearing aids is expensive, but there are several hearing aid charities that provide the gift of hearing to people who are unable to afford new hearing aids at a low cost or at no cost. A couple of good places to start with hearing aid donations are Hear the World and Hearing Aid Project. 

Your loved one may have had assistive devices, such as a walker, portable toilet, raised toilet seat, and wheelchair. Unless these were provided on loan by a medical supply company, you own them. A practical way to donate these items is to contact a home health or home hospice organization and see if they have a need for them for their clients.  

A good way to donate your loved one’s clothing – all but underwear, unless is new and in unopened packaging – is to find a charity that provides the clothing to people in need at no charge. Many churches, homeless shelters, and battered women’s shelters are in dire need of clothing to distribute to the people who walk through their doors on a daily basis, and they give the clothes away at no cost to the recipients. 

You may that after your loved one’s death, you have furniture that you do not need anymore. Giving unneeded furniture to a battered women’s shelter may mean that a family can make a new start in a new home with some furniture in it. 

You can learn about other resources for disposing of your loved one’s things after death by speaking with one of our empathetic and knowledgeable Peoria, AZ funeral home staff members at Simply Cremation & Funeral Arrangements. You can also visit our funeral home at 16952 W. Bell Rd., #303, Surprise, AZ, 85374. We have 24/7 immediate assistance to help you, so contact us today at (623) 975-9393.