1. Executive Summary
e Time to Reflect survey was commissioned by Irish Hospice Foundation to explore the impact of COVID-19 on the experiences and perceptions of the Irish population in relation to dying, death, and bereavement during this time. A total of 2,259 participants completed the national survey from November 2021 to February 2022. Participants were invited to share their (a) perspectives and (b) their personal experiences of dying, death and bereavement as well as (c) general information about themselves. is study is the first of its kind to capture the specific challenges and experiences of the Irish population in relation to end-of-life care, grief, and bereavement during the pandemic. Most participants reported that the pandemic changed their views about dying, death and bereavement with the participants reporting a greater awareness of grief and loss due to COVID-19. Almost three quarters of participants reported the pandemic prevented their loved one from having the death they would have wished for. Over 86% of participants agreed that their experience of a loved one’s death was negatively affected by COVID-19. Less than 20% of bereaved participants were able to spend time with their loved one before they died and over half of the participants were not present when their loved one died. ese difficult experiences were impacted by the COVID-19 public health measures and the overwhelming strain placed on health and social care services. Limits on numbers attending funerals and mourning rituals were also cited as having an impact on the grief experience of bereaved individuals. Participants emphasised the importance of attending funerals and having an opportunity to say goodbye but also how they appreciated the ways in which their communities innovated and reimagined how they paid their respects and provided support. Healthcare workers were particularly impacted by the distress of witnessing so many deaths and the challenging circumstances they faced. Although the research did not set out to target healthcare workers one in five of the cohort that responded were healthcare workers. ey recalled the difficulty of loved ones not being permitted to visit the patients they were caring for. ey described the moral struggle of not being able to provide patients with the standard of care they required. Both family members and healthcare workers referred to situations in which a patient died alone without family or staff present and the pervasive impact that had on them.
A short questionnaire – Brief Grief Questionnaire (BGQ) was incorporated into the survey and was used to screen bereaved survey participants for Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD). PGD
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