Narratives of Covid: Loss, Dying, Death and Grief during COVID-19

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people's personal and professional lives, with many people experiencing various forms of loss including bereavement. The Open University (OU) is a large organisation with many students and staff impacted by the pandemic. The Open Thanatology group at the university noted a gap within the institution to collectively understand and support each other during this time. We sought to provide a space within the OU where students, staff and alumni could share stories and experiences of loss during the first year of the pandemic through narrative writing.MethodsPeople were invited to submit a narrative of up to 1,500 words to the editors by early March 2021. The editors worked with authors to refine each contribution and self-published the collection in September 2021.ResultsOver 30 authors contributed with a range of materials from personal essays, reflections on frontline work or research, and poetry. Topics included: loss during COVID-19;impossible choices and restricted presence during COVID-19;death and dying during the pandemic;death as a result of COVID-19;grief, loss and funerals during COVID-19;other experiences of grief during COVID-19. Contributors commented that the process was therapeutic and that it recognised and honoured their experiences. For some it was their first-time publishing. It captures a ‘moment in time' and the difficulties people faced.ConclusionPublishing the Narratives of Covid book has been a useful way of bringing people together within the Open University and connecting with and sharing people's experiences of death, loss and grief during the pandemic. Subsequent events at libraries have broaden the conversations beyond the university. Since the book is available as a free download, it has been used in education, research, reading groups, and public engagement.Book referenceBorgstrom, E. and Mallon, S. (2021) Narratives of Covid: Loss, Dying, Death and Grief During Covid-19. The Open University. https://oro.open.ac.uk/79260/

The implications of COVID-19 on health and social care personnel in long-term care facilities for older people: An international scoping review.

This scoping review mapped out the existing literature pertaining to health and social care personnel experiences during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and their work in a long-term care setting for older people. This review identified the gaps in the implications of health and social care personnel's own health and well-being during the pandemic as well as the ethical dilemmas inherent in providing care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors utilised the PRISMA checklist for undertaking scoping reviews. The Databases Medline, PsychINFO, CINAHL, SCOPUS, Web of Science and Google Scholar were searched for relevant articles in English that were published between March 28, 2020 and June 1, 2022. This time period was selected to focus specifically on the COVID-19 pandemic. In the context of this review, long-term care facilities were defined to include institutions such as nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, retirement homes and residential care homes. The gaps identified were a paucity of research on the experiences of health and social care personnel in long-term care facilities, the impact on their mental health, and the wider challenges experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic is discussed. The findings of this scoping review indicate a need for adequate preparedness during a pandemic within the health and social care sector to protect health and social care personnel and the individuals they care for.

Narratives of COVID: loss, dying, death and grief during COVID-19

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people’s personal and professional lives, with many people experiencing various forms of loss including bereavement. The Open University is a large organisation with many students and staff impacted by the pandemic. The Open Thanatology group at the university noted a gap within the institution to collectively understand and support each other during this time.AimsTo provide a space within the Open University where students, staff and alumni could share stories and experiences of loss during the first year of the pandemic. The narratives were to be collected to share both within and beyond the university.MethodPeople were invited to submit a narrative of up to 1,500 words to the editors by early March 2021. The editors worked with authors to refine each contribution and self-published the collection in September 2021.ResultsOver 30 authors contributed with a range of materials from personal essays, reflections on frontline work or research, and poetry. Topics included: loss during COVID-19;impossible choices and restricted presence during COVID-19;death and dying during the pandemic;death as a result of COVID-19;grief, loss and funerals during COVID-19;other experiences of grief during COVID-19. Contributors commented that the process was therapeutic and that it recognised and honoured their experiences. For some it was their first-time publishing.ConclusionPublishing the Narratives of Covid book has been a useful way of bringing people together within the Open University and connecting with and sharing people’s experiences of death, loss and grief during the pandemic.ImpactCreating a book has been beneficial both for those contributing but also for those who can now read the narratives and connect with them. The book is available as a free eBook and pdf, or low-cost paperback. It can be used in teaching, research, and community engagement.

'Saying goodbye' during the COVID-19 pandemic: A document analysis of online newspapers with implications for end of life care.

BACKGROUND: News media create a sense-making narrative, shaping, reflecting and enforcing cultural ideas and experiences. Reportage of COVID-related death and bereavement illuminates public perceptions of, and responses to, the COVID-19 pandemic. AIM: We aimed to explore British newspaper representations of 'saying goodbye' before and after a COVID-related death and consider clinical implications. DESIGN: Document analysis of UK online newspaper articles published during 2 week-long periods in March-April 2020. DATA SOURCES: The seven most-read online newspapers were searched: The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Telegraph, The Mirror, The Sun, The Times and The Metro. Fifty-five articles discussed bereavement after a human death from COVID-19, published during 18/03-24/03/2020 (the UK's transition into lockdown) or 08/04-14/04/2020 (the UK peak of the pandemic's first wave). RESULTS: The act of 'saying goodbye' (before, during and after death) was central to media representations of COVID bereavement, represented as inherently important and profoundly disrupted. Bedside access was portrayed as restricted, variable and uncertain, with families begging or bargaining for contact. Video-link goodbyes were described with ambivalence. Patients were portrayed as 'dying alone' regardless of clinician presence. Funerals were portrayed as travesties and grieving alone as unnatural. Articles focused on what was forbidden and offered little practical guidance. CONCLUSION: Newspapers portrayed COVID-19 as disruptive to rituals of 'saying goodbye' before, during and after death. Adaptations were presented as insufficient attempts to ameliorate tragic situations. More nuanced and supportive reporting is recommended. Clinicians and other professionals supporting the bereaved can play an important role in offering alternative narratives.

'It's like being in a war with an invisible enemy': A document analysis of bereavement due to COVID-19 in UK newspapers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been followed intensely by the global news media, with deaths and bereavement a major focus. The media reflect and reinforce cultural conventions and sense-making, offering a lens which shapes personal experiences and attitudes. How COVID-19 bereavement is reported therefore has important societal implications. We aimed to explore the reportage and portrayal of COVID-19 related bereavement in the top seven most-read British online newspapers during two week-long periods in March and April 2020. We conducted a qualitative document analysis of all articles that described grief or bereavement after a death from COVID-19. Analysis of 55 articles was informed by critical discourse analysis and Terror Management Theory, which describes a psychological conflict arising between the realisation that death is inevitable and largely unpredictable and the human need for self-preservation. We identified three main narratives: (1) fear of an uncontrollable, unknown new virus and its uncertain consequences-associated with sensationalist language and a sense of helplessness and confusion; (2) managing uncertainty and fear via prediction of the future and calls for behaviour change, associated with use of war metaphors; and (3) mourning and loss narratives that paid respect to the deceased and gave voice to grief, associated with euphemistic or glorifying language ('passed away', 'heroes'). Accounts of death and grief were largely homogenous, with bereavement due to COVID-19 presented as a series of tragedies, and there was limited practical advice about what to do if a loved one became seriously ill or died. Reporting reflected the tension between focusing on existential threat and the need to retreat from or attempt to control that threat. While the impact of this reporting on the public is unknown, a more nuanced approach is recommended to better support those bereaved by COVID-19.