Good Grief! is a resource to share with anyone who needs it. Here is the link to today’s newsletter. https://mailchi.mp/4adb4891ab9c/blog-highlights-15-july Good Grief! is an independent website with more than 200 items to help navigate grief, update rights and opportunities for the dying and support all those involved. It has news, interviews, … Read more
We love this photo of Kathryn Breusch – and not just because of the book she’s holding. Kathryn is a death doula, holistic funeral director with Picaluna Funerals, and funeral celebrant. When she sent this photo to us, we couldn’t help but smile. The photo is taken in her friend … Read more
Photos of a big party at our house, celebrating my daughter’s 21st. She stands, smiling broadly as she listens to the speeches, all manner of people unknown to me crowding around her. So different. What is it? And then it hits. Hard. These are pre-Covid days when we welcomed strangers … Read more
We have settled into the rhythm of Covid-19 – we have dealt with the massive death toll, watched the social destruction it has caused, particularly in the USA, seen the cracks it causes to social cohesion in other places and we now brace ourselves for the real economic fallout, now … Read more
Hmmm, the Swedish model again. A fascinating report by Lisa Millar on this week’s ABC Foreign Correspondent, talked about the Swedish model for managing Covid-19. Her report looked at the latest phase of its evolution. Sweden has taken a liberal attitude to social restrictions because of Covid-19. To see Lisa’s … Read more
The favourite expression of some Anglican friends is: “the best is yet to come.” They’re referring to life after death, and it’s a very comforting thought. But for 83-year-old Scottish Margaret this has turned out to be true before then, right at the end of life, while she lives in … Read more
The Covid-19 crisis had its biggest consequences for these two most important rituals, the wedding and the funeral. “During the service I never pose people or use flash photography. Discrete candid photography allows me to capture the sombre mode of family embracing, children deep in thought, and friends crofting the … Read more
We’re linking you through to a news report from California which reveals frustration and anger over the way nursing homes were managed there through the Covid-19 crisis. In its June 28 report “As Coronavirus raged through nursing homes, inspectors found nothing wrong”, The Los Angeles Times claims the main problem … Read more
Walking through the Lane Cove neighbourhood in Sydney this morning we came upon an art installation by Tara Naval. Called Titles of an Imagination, 2019, it’s a “mixed media- resin, organic materials, glass, bric-a-brac, papercraft” exhibition that sits on a plinth in the public space outside the local library, so … Read more
For those who’ve followed Sydney’s Newmarch House Covid-19 infections, last night’s ABC Four Corners made for compelling viewing. At Newmarch House over a period of 39 days, 34 staff and 37 residents became infected with Covid 19. There were 19 deaths of residents. When we researched Newmarch House intensively for … Read more
Pharmacists are key players in the delivery of effective palliative care because they deliver and manage the drugs to help ease symptoms, especially pain. ‘In many ways, they are unseen essential workers, caring for those in need during a critical time.’ said South Australian pharmacist Paul Tait MPS, who is … Read more
There is now a new definition of palliative care – thanks Caroline Litster for pointing this one out. (Caroline is a researcher at Flinders University and a palliative and supportive services provider with ELDAC.) Caroline shared this item from The Journal of Pain and Symptom Management (JPSM), reported in its … Read more
“The limit on the number of guests allowed at funerals is the latest COVID-19 restriction to be eased in NSW,” Jenny Noyes reported in Sydney Morning Herald yesterday, (June 14). From July 1, indoor venues will no longer be limited to 50 patrons but for funerals, the changes will come into … Read more
The article “Death anxiety – the worm at the core of mental illness” argues that death anxiety is a hidden factor in many mental illness, and that this crosses over into many disorders. The article, by Rachel E. Menzies and Associate Professor Ross G. Menzies, was published in the Australian … Read more
Earlier this month, the NSW Coroner’s Court announced it will investigate the deadly outbreak of Covid-19 at Newmarch House aged care facility in Sydney’s outer western suburbs, where 19 residents died from the virus. This is good to hear. We’ll have an objective analysis, with scrupulous attention to detail, a … Read more
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