Let people have their people: Exploring death and grieving during COVID-19

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the landscape of bereavement. The effects have been acute and far-reaching, especially as they pertain to impacts on the grief process. Method: A qualitative approach, known as Interpretive Description, was used to explore the experiences of individuals who lost a loved one to death during the highest restrictive period of the Covid 19 pandemic. This restrictive period was inclusive of March 18, 2020 to June 30, 2021 (Faye et al., 2022). Eight participants across northern British Columbia (BC) participated in semi-structured interviews and shared their experiences around the death of a loved one during the noted restrictive period. Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six phases of thematic analysis were used to analyse the data which generated the findings. Results: There were five overarching themes that emerged from the data with 15 subthemes. The five overarching themes followed by the subthemes included— family dynamics (amplified family dynamics and difficult decisions), individual impacts (death rituals, isolation, and complex grief), societal impacts (exacerbated social conditions, accountability, distrust of systems and fear), coping (spirituality, technology, creative expressions, gratitude and forgiveness), and hope for the future (seeking solutions and information sharing). Conclusion: The resounding experiences of those who encountered the death of a loved one during the highest restrictive period of the Covid-19 pandemic were fraught with difficulties, in addition to the death. A call for improved solutions in the future was a strong narrative throughout the experiences provided.