3.4.3 Reflecting on the Dying Experience
COVID-19 did stimulate reflection on the current healthcare system, structures, and changes required in the future. Some participants stressed the need for more choice and autonomy around the dying experience: “Under strict guidelines, one should have the [option] to choose their time of death if they so wish. i.e., if one is given a terminal diagnosis, with 6 months to live, if they choose to end their life, their wish should be permitted.” 3.5 End-of-Life Care during COVID-19 More than one third of participants (N=603, 36.8%,) provided care to someone during the pandemic. Nearly 80% of participants who reported caring for someone else during the pandemic were women, and over half were healthcare workers (55.2%, N=333). Only half of participants reported that their loved one received the level of care they needed at end of life (N=391, 54.2%) and that the spiritual/religious needs of their loved one was met at end of life (N=386, 53.6%). Over 70% of participants (N=507) reported that the pandemic completely or partly prevented their loved one from having the death they would have wished for. Almost half of participants (N=492, 43.5%), felt that their loved one did not die in the place they would have liked, and other participants reported that their loved one was not surrounded by the people they would have liked to be around them at the time (N=344, 30.5%).
3.6 Survey Participant Reflections
e following themes emerged in relation to end-of-life care during COVID-19:
Lack of Appropriate Care Frustration with COVID-19 Restrictions Strain on Healthcare Settings
3.6.1 Lack of Appropriate Care
Participants expressed that care was not as good as it should be, and this was attributed to the emphasis that was placed on COVID-19. For example, one survey participant described how her uncle passed away during the pandemic and how medical staff did not attend to his medical needs throughout the night. Consequently, this experience added an extra layer of grief for her and her relatives: “My uncle passed away in hospital, earlier this year with COVID-19. I was able to attend the funeral (12 people). His daughter and sons are still grieving hugely. He passed away alone. No one had checked on him all night and he was found the following morning. is is a huge grief for his children.”
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