ABOUT BRAIN DONATION

What is involved in becoming a donor?

If you are considering donating your brain to medical research, one of our staff will be more than happy to talk to you about the program.  

As a consented donor you will be asked to participate in an assessment covering health and lifestyle, mental health and neuropsychological aspects such as memory and attention.  Face-to-face assessments are preferable but are often not possible, so we have introduced telephone assessments for more distant donors.  All information gathered will be kept strictly confidential.

The information we gather from the assessment is what makes tissue from the program so valuable to researchers.  When the time comes for these individual results to be combined with information gained from the donated brain tissue, new discoveries can emerge.

After your enrolment, you will be kept informed with occasional newsletters and contact will be made with you every year to see whether you have any concerns or questions.

There are a few medical conditions that make brain tissue unsuitable for donation.  These
include a major infectious disorder.  One of us will be more than happy to discuss this with you.

What happens when I die?

When a donor dies we rely on the family, friends or health professional to call on the 1800 088 533 ‘in the event of death or emergency’ number.  This is located on the consent pages and the brain donor card that is sent out to all consented donors. 
This number is monitored 24 hours a day.

We will organise transportation to the nearest facility for donation of brain tissue, then return the donor to the funeral director of the family’s choice. There will be no interference to funeral arrangements, and the family will incur no transport costs.

Are there any age requirements?

Yes.  Anyone over 18 years and over can donate their brain and thereby play a vital role in medical research.

Next of Kin

It is important that your next of kin is aware of your decision to become a donor.  If you are unsure about this we are happy to discuss this further with you and your family.  Just go to the ‘Contact Us’ page. 

The decision to donate

You are encouraged to take your time reaching a decision about whether or not to become a donor.  This is because the decision to donate is a deeply personal one, and of great importance.  Of course, any time you wish to withdraw from the programme, you can simply complete the ‘Withdrawal of Consent’ section on your consent forms and send it to us. 

Whole body donation

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