Responding to grief and loss in the context of COVID 19: A story from India

For many, COVID-19 disrupted practices of end-of-life care and made it impossible to carry out rituals of mourning and acknowledgement after the death of a loved one. This paper describes a series of conversations with a woman who was plagued by guilt after not being able to give her aunt 'a pr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of narrative therapy and community work 2021-06 (2), p.1-6
Main Author: Sen, Maya
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bereavement
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
COVID-19 (Disease)
Death
Death & dying
Families & family life
Fathers
Funeral rites and ceremonies
Grief
Guilt
Pandemics
Social aspects
Social Environment
Terminal care
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:For many, COVID-19 disrupted practices of end-of-life care and made it impossible to carry out rituals of mourning and acknowledgement after the death of a loved one. This paper describes a series of conversations with a woman who was plagued by guilt after not being able to give her aunt 'a proper send-off'. It offers questions that were useful in shifting our conversations from individual self-blame to the shared social context of the pandemic. It considers ideas about a 'good death' and suggests ways to invite exploration of alternative ways to honour loved ones who have died. This paper is accompanied by responses from narrative practitioners in Rwanda and India.
ISSN:1446-5019