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
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
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
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
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
I like strange as a word. It is non-judgmental, it says this is different, unfamiliar, something new to be navigated. However, we need to put a few things on the table: actively putting strategies in place to retain the rights and manage the needs of the dying, the suffering and … Read more
I was just about to walk out the door to have dinner with my sister and cousin. It’s that kind of moment isn’t it, a moment when social distancing and all it implies means that family are the best people to be with. They’ll forgive you if you suddenly sneeze … Read more
As we settle in to the new normal, Good Grief! is here to support. Good Grief! will ponder these strange Covid-19 times with you, talking about those topics which are relevant to our mission. You will find the facts we present reassuring. The discussion will look unblinkingly at mortality and … Read more