The impact of COVID-19 on our views and experiences of death and dying

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused over 700,000 deaths world-wide and resulted in millions of casualties. How has the pandemic changed our perceptions, attitudes, and policies towards death and dying? Has it led to a greater understanding and acceptance of death as a part of life? Or has it increased our fear of dying, as people witness the devastation COVID has wrought in long-term care homes and other congregate facilities? How might it lead to more open conversations about how we want to live and die?

These are some of the issues I discussed with Gaby Novoa of the Vanier Institute of the Family in an interview we did a couple of weeks ago. Here’s a link to that discussion.

https://vanierinstitute.ca/in-conversation-katherine-arnup-on-death-dying-and-dignity-during-covid-19/

How has COVID-19 impacted your experience of death and dying?

 

 

Read Full Post »

Dying2Learn2018 (online course)

Last year I talked about an online course I was taking called dying2learn. It’s completely online, with videos, lessons, stories, and questions to ponder and respond to. I thoroughly enjoyed taking it – so stress, no exams, just a large community of people learning and sharing together. It’s international (the people who organize and run the class are in Australia) but through the wonders of the internet, people from all over the world join in!

If you’re interested in finding a place to share your thoughts, learn more about death and dying (including different traditions and cultures), and challenge (perhaps) some of your assumptions, I strongly urge you to sign up!

https://www.openlearning.com/courses/dying2learn2018/

The link to join is on the upper right hand side of the opening screen – just click on sign up! And let me know what you think!!!

Read Full Post »

Lessons from a hospice volunteer

Late last year I did an interview with Dr. Karen Wyatt, a hospice physician, speaker, author, and founder of End of Life University – a series of interviews with key figures in what has been called a movement to reclaim death and dying. The interview was great fun, as we shared our common passion for end of life care. I felt like I was having a conversation with a close friend (though we have never met!), so connected are we to improving end of life care in our two countries, and throughout the world.

Have a listen, and let me know what you think! Please feel free to share with your colleagues, friends, and fellow hospice volunteers.

http://www.eoluniversity.com/apps/blog/show/45144022-lessons-from-a-hospice-volunteer-with-katherine-arnup-phd

Read Full Post »

In Denial about Death

https://www.thespec.com/living-story/8077999-in-denial-about-death/

When I was doing research for my book “I don’t have time for this!” I created a number of google alerts on death and dying, palliative care, medical aid in dying, and elderly parents. I’ve kept those alerts active and, as a result, I receive a daily digest of all the relevant Canadian media items on these topics. I realize this probably makes me seem even weirder than I probably already did, but it’s given me access to articles and news stories I would not otherwise have seen.

The link above is one such story – a fulsome and thoughtful article about the impact our culture’s fear and denial of death is having on the institutions (hospitals, long term care homes etc.) and families in society – and the crisis it will create in the not-too-distant future. I urge you to read it – and to consider the impact that those of us who are involved in hospice care are having in breaking the silence around death and dying.

On another note, I’d like to welcome all the new followers to this blog, many of whom hail from countries where the fear of death is not so prominent. I would love to hear from followers new and not so new, about your own experiences of death and dying. Feel free to comment here – if  you have something more lengthy that you might wish to contribute, please send it my way so that I can consider including it on this blog.

If you’ve just happened upon this blog for the first time, please consider following it – there should be a button near the bottom right corner where you can click. I promise I will not be flooding your inbox. Also, feel free to scroll through the archive of postings and respond to topics from the past.

 

Read Full Post »