Death and Grief During a Pandemic

Karyn and Aidan – Supporting each other

Karyn and Aidan talk about how they supported each other and how they coped with John being hospitalized

Jane – Sitting in our feelings

Jane – Sitting in our feelings

Jane shares how she has learned to be more present in her feelings while grieving during the pandemic.

What I know about grief

The following are some things I know to be true about grief for me, based on my lived experience. Some of them may resonate with you as well. Grief is unique to the people experiencing it in each moment, so please take whatever makes sense to you from this share and leave whatever doesn’t.

Jane – Loneliness while processing grief

Jane talks about grieving without her extended family because of the pandemic and how that’s impacted things like scattering ashes and having celebrations of life.

Nicole – Stigma Surrounding Drug Use

Nicole discusses how the stigma around drug use has an impact on how people feel able to grieve when those in their community are lost.

Jane – My Story

Jane shares her story about losing two of her grandparents just before the pandemic and the ways the pandemic has impacted her ability to process grief.

Maureen – Isolated in a nursing home

Maureen talks about her father-in-law isolated and palliative during the pandemic

Jean – Be good to yourself

Jean shares about support and not being hard on yourself

Andrea – Grieving during a pandemic

Andrea discusses the challenges of grieving during a pandemic

Karyn and Aidan – Going forward

Karyn and Aidan talk about Aidan’s wedding after John died and how they continue to cope

Jane – Struggling to process layers of grief

Jane talks about her experience navigating multiple losses in a short time and the impact the pandemic has had on that by adding even more multi-facitated layers of grief

Karyn and Aidan – Coping with the COVID restrictions

Karyn and Aidan talk about how they dealt with not being able to visit John in hospital