This article was updated on 7 March, 2023. It discusses collective grief and Covid-19. One of the good things to come out of the collective grief from the Covid-19 crisis is the realisation of the value of our local community. Yes it’s marvellous that before this, because of technology, we … 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
Work has gone online – even, surprisingly, in the healthcare space. We’ve discovered more about what’s effective and what isn’t as lawyers, school teachers and sales people have developed new online practices. However, at times this can feel like two steps forward, one step back. Some Sydney lawyers report that … Read more
This is a review of where we are now, the gains and losses in managing the threat of death from Covid-19. What has changed, what has gone backwards, what has improved? Not all the threats to life will come from the virus itself, a space that health professionals are now … Read more
As Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced an ‘early mark’ for Australians on social distancing restrictions from Saturday 2 May, 2020, because of our success in controlling Covid-19, the spotlight stays on the continuing sources of outbreaks – including aged care facilities. Scrutiny will ensure we don’t have a sudden … Read more
Dr Michelle Atchison agrees with Matthew that, as Covid-19 imposes isolation on the grieving, it is an important time for professionals in the grief area to reach out to their patients. She is the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Chair of Private Practice, and also works in … Read more
CEO of the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement, Chris Hall, shares some thoughts on the lessons we can learn from the first war of the twentieth century. Covid-19 will change our sense of self. Some of the clues to how this will happen come from looking at World War … Read more
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
The Coronavirus is now called Covid-19 but it is the generic name coronavirus by which the world now knows this new disease. It was declared a pandemic by the Australian Government on February 27, 2020. The label pandemic, denotes not severity but ease of spread, with 60 countries now reporting … Read more