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

Abstract

Preface collection. At times, reading them has been emotionally wrenching and draining; it was beneficial to have a colleague like Sharon who could understand that. I'd also like to thank my partner, Lukas, for bringing me cups of tea as I read and edited the collection and encouraged me to get out in the sunshine to help me process the vicarious grief.Lastly, we want to thank you -the reader -for taking the time to engage with the narratives, reflections, and information within this collection. We don't know why you've decided to pick up this book, but we hope that you connect with it. Perhaps you'll see your own experiences of loss and grief reflected in the words and know you are not alone or perhaps you'll be inspired by someone else's narrative to think about your own loss in a different way or reach out to someone to share your experiences with them. Or, perhaps, you'll even write your own story.xvi Note on contentNow that the book is in your hands (or on your screen), it is up to you how you read it. You may choose to read it from cover to cover or to pick it up and selectively read essays as you flick through it. We know some readers may gravitate towards accounts that may reflect or resonate with their own experiences, whilst others may avoid those.As the title of the book suggests, much of the content is about death, dying and grief in some form. A few essays take the topic of 'loss' a bit more tangentially, as we understood that for many, the non-human losses of the pandemic -such as loss xxvi people aged up to 25. National Helpline 0800 02 888 40. Notes on terminologyThe terms COVID-19, Covid, coronavirus as well as others are all used interchangeably in this book. This is deliberate and reflects the language that is currently being used in relation to the virus and pandemic. 'During Covid-19' is often meant to indicate that something happened during the time of the pandemic (which during writing, was most of 2020 and early 2021). We have included a few clarifications on several terms that we know were used in the UK but not necessarily in other countries.The term 'frontline' was used in the UK to describes people who were providing essential services and who could not 'work from home' during the pandemic. This included many health and social care staff, as well as workers in 'essential' (e.g. food) retail and logistics, schools, and public services. At times, the term 'key worker' was also used by the UK government to denote those providing key services. The key worker label enabled access to childcare, access to schools during pandemic closure periods, and earlier access to vaccines depending on roles.The term 'lockdown' was used in the UK to denote the restrictions implemented by government to mitigate community transmission of the virus. Lockdowns were implemented as emergency measures and depending on the location, many weeks and months were spent 'in lockdown' in 2020 and 2021. At its most extreme, this included closing 'non-essential' shops and businesses, encouraging people to work and stay at...

Surviving through story: Experiences of people with learning disabilities in the covid19 pandemic 2020–2021

“…We saw from two people's stories how suddenly the pandemic led to illness and death. Our page on the site about celebrating lives was a very important way of helping people to remember loved ones in a positive way, and creating a community in which people can share experiences and help one another (Borgstron & Mallon, 2021).…”