Abstract:Background: The aim of this rapid perspective review is to capture key changes to memorialisation practices resulting from social distancing rules implemented due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Method: As published peer-reviewed research pertaining to memorialisation practices during the COVID-19 pandemic is lacking, this rapid review includes academic literature from the pre-COVID-19 period and international media reports during the pandemic. Findings: Changes to memorialisation practices were under way be… Show more
“… Lay See Khoo 34 Malaysia Journal article Review Necessary guidelines should be provided for all corpse management steps, including the temporary burial of the bodies of unidentified migrants and refugees, especially when dealing with mass corpses. Jennifer Lowe 35 Australia Journal article Review The COVID-19 pandemic has caused changes in memorial ceremonies, such as in contact with corpses, funerals, and burials. These changes are likely to remain in place even in the post-corona area.…”
“… Lay See Khoo 34 Malaysia Journal article Review Necessary guidelines should be provided for all corpse management steps, including the temporary burial of the bodies of unidentified migrants and refugees, especially when dealing with mass corpses. Jennifer Lowe 35 Australia Journal article Review The COVID-19 pandemic has caused changes in memorial ceremonies, such as in contact with corpses, funerals, and burials. These changes are likely to remain in place even in the post-corona area.…”
“…This has required funeral directors to adapt to new circumstances which can change rapidly by using videoconferencing or livestreaming technology, although this has been inconsistent ( MacNeil et al, 2021 ; Selman et al, 2021 ). For some, the ritual of viewing the body at a funeral home has been substituted with the coffin taken around the streets for people to acknowledge the death ( Lowe et al, 2020 ) as reported in our study.…”
A Massive-Open-Online-Course (MOOC) on death and dying (Dying2Learn) was offered in 2020, designed to build conversations about death as a natural part of life. In week 1, the content focused on how today’s society engages with death through the language we use, humour, public mourning and funerals. This study investigated 2020 MOOC participants’ responses to an online activity reflecting on funerals and memorials during the time of COVID-19. From this activity, n = 204 responses were analysed qualitatively. Themes included the positives and negatives of virtual funeral attendance (e.g. opportunity to have a way to participate when travel barriers existed, versus a sense of impersonal voyeurism); and the challenges related to the inability to physically comfort the bereaved due to physical distancing requirements. Comments made as part of this MOOC activity provide a unique insight into the community’s experience of funeral changes necessitated by COVID-19, with important implications for the grieving process.
“…13 Dying is seen as a time of poignancy and intimacy for family, 13 highlighting the importance of bedside vigils, in-person farewells and family involvement in preparing the body. 43 Even when social and familial practices are re-shaped by legal, behavioural and social interventions designed to contain an infectious disease outbreak, 43 family members' desires to maintain these practices do not cease. Disruptions to rituals before and after death and a lack of social support compounds family members' grief.…”
Background: Infection control measures during infectious disease outbreaks can have significant impacts on seriously ill and dying patients, their family, the patient-family connection, coping, grief and bereavement. Aim: To explore how family members of patients who are seriously ill or who die during infectious disease outbreaks are supported and cared for during serious illness, before and after patient death and the factors that influence family presence around the time of death. Design: Systematic review and narrative synthesis. Data sources: CINAHL, Medline, APA PsycInfo and Embase were searched from inception to June 2020. Forward and backward searching of included papers were also undertaken. Records were independently assessed against inclusion criteria. Included papers were assessed for quality, but none were excluded. Findings: Key findings from 14 papers include the importance of communication and information sharing, as well as new ways of using virtual communication. Restrictive visiting practices were understood, but the impact of these restrictions on family experience cannot be underestimated, causing distress and suffering. Consistent advice and information were critical, such as explaining personal protective equipment, which family found constraining and staff experienced as affecting interpersonal communication. Cultural expectations of family caregiving were challenged during infectious disease outbreaks. Conclusion: Learning from previous infectious disease outbreaks about how family are supported can be translated to the current COVID-19 pandemic and future infectious disease outbreaks. Consistent, culturally sensitive and tailored plans should be clearly communicated to family members, including when any restrictions may be amended or additional supports provided when someone is dying.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.