In the era of Covid-19 communication and information to support the improvement of death, dying and grief in our culture is doubly important. Good Grief! serves this purpose. https://mailchi.mp/44584b5819fc/a-update-from-good-grief-about-covid-2241813 To sign up please go to: http://eepurl.com/dmYkjL To read regular updates in between, go to the Good Grief! website at: https://good-grief.com.au Thank … Read more
The US Center for Diseases Control( CDC) has reversed its advice on face masks, to help control the spread of Covid-19. It now says we should all wear them in public and this contradicts what it said before. In Australia we have also followed the advice not to wear face … Read more
Palliative care is adapting to meet the needs of those with Covid-19 – and people dying of other causes. Palliative Care Australia has formed the Australian COVID-19 Palliative Care Working Group (ACPCWG) in partnership with palliative care related specialist groups. These are the Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine (ANZSPM), … Read more
My friend and journalist Helen Pitt tweeted the positive news in the accompanying photo recently. Here is today’s update: 212,018 people have now recovered from Covid-19. To follow updates on Covid-19 stats, go to: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-cases/ Marco, who works in construction, sent me what was close to an excellent resource on … Read more
We could go out of Covid-19 isolation, shutdown and quarantining, then back in again for repeated periods right up until November, 2021, staff have been warned at some Sydney hospitals. The NSW lockdown will now officially last for 90 days. This has been confirmed as we hear from sources inside … Read more
We feel deeply for our US readers right now. Today the Australian SBS News headline predicted 240,000 potential deaths US deaths from Covid-19. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/donald-trump-warns-very-painful-weeks-ahead-as-white-house-says-240-000-americans-could-die-of-coronavirus This expands the numbers of the Los Angeles Times headline earlier today, warning of a minimum of 100,000 US coronavirus deaths.https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-03-31/political-squabbling-4th-coronavirus-bailout-bill-underway-but-passage-is-weeks-away But remember the maths,(or math … Read more
Lots of stories have swilled around the stratosphere and swirled through social media. Are they true? We’ve checked the sources of the following, Last week we heard reports the virus can last up to 72 hours on a surface. This has been tested by American scientists and turns out to … Read more
Current mortality figures in Australia are still relatively low. This means Australia hasn’t yet hit enormous pressure on beds, intensive care units and ventilators. To see how and why these are needed, go to: https://good-grief.com.au/an-intensive-care-specialists-insight/ Good Grief! can confirm, that this reflects the anecdotal evidence of some of our specialist … Read more
The following article by Australian intensive care expert Professor Ken Hillman, in Inside Story, gives insight into the way Covid-19 is being managed by intensive care teams and the health system more generally. There are a couple of things to note. He points out that it is a very specific … Read more
We understand if you need to say goodbye to Good Grief! for a while, to protect your emotional well-being and mental health. No offence will be taken if you disconnect. It’s important to experience the positive and the beautiful in the light of what is happening throughout the world and … Read more
People are challenging funeral homes to be allowed to have bigger funerals than 10 people, amid warnings that this is dangerous, said Carly Dalton, Funeral Director of Melbourne’s Greenhaven Funerals and President of the Association of Independent Funeral Professionals. “We urge people not to ask for this and for funeral … Read more
Funeral directors and mortuary personnel are unlikely to contract COVID-19 from bodies.
Here’s some good news. Getting sick with COVID-19 isn’t necessarily a death sentence – even if you’re old. Norman Swan in his coronavirus update on March 23 finished his report by saying that 85 per cent of old people who get COVID-19 will survive. That’s something for the elderly to … Read more
To see an update of the world pattern of Coronavirus spread, see the following link. As the impact on the world of the Covid-19 tide unfolds, if you are wondering about the worldwide palliative care response, please go to this link. https://www.thewhpca.org/covid-19/resources. Triaging of scarce medical resources tends to happen … Read more
We live in strange times. So the latest issue of my newsletter [sign up here!] is dedicated to COVID-19 and related mortality. It may seem morbid, but before you shut your device, think of this. It is extremely reassuring to look at this international crisis through the lens of mortality. … Read more
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