Death and Grief During a Pandemic

KIm – Planning a funeral in the pandemic

Kim explains the ups and downs of planning a funeral during the pandemic

Maureen – Funeral during the pandemic

Maureen talks about funeral arrangements during a 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.

Maureen – Hospital restrictions during a pandemic

Maureen discusses hospital restrictions while her father-in-law was palliative during the pandemic

Jane – Connection, place, and grief

Jane talks about the difference between living alone in Toronto while grieving during the pandemic compared to her experience once she moved closer to her family in Northumberland.

John Martin – Loss, Grief and Covid-19

John discusses loss and COVID

Zoreena – Passing on kindness

Zoreena talks about wakes, funerals, COVID and the importance of kindness

Karyn and Aidan – Support from others

Karyn and Aidan discuss how family, friends, and people they didn’t know in the community supported them.Talking, meals, dog walking are among the things that made a huge difference.

Sarah K – Grieving in isolation

Sarah discusses isolation, being in grief during the pandemic and the importance of keeping connected

Zoreena – Burnout and counseling

Zoreena talks about her father’s decline in a nursing home during COVID

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.

Karyn and Aidan – Describing grief during the pandemic

Karyn and Aidan talk about how their grief has changed and the challenges they have faced grieving during a pandemic