Understanding bereavement

Loss and grief

Bereavement is a common experience during Covid-19. Many will have cared for residents and clients they have known for many years and therefore it is common and understandable that people feel loss and grief.

The death of someone you have cared for can be devastating. There is no right and wrong way to
grieve. However, there are some common feelings people may experience:

Shock

It can be hard to believe that someone has died. Shock can leave you feeling numb and
confused. It may take some time to be able to make sense of a person’s death and to realise that
they are not coming back.

Physical feelings

People can experience physical changes to their appetite or sleep routine and can
experience physical illness and pain.

Sadness

Sadness and, at times, a depressed mood are common experiences.

Guilt

At times, people may wish they could have done something to alleviate their pain or suffering
even if everything possible had been done. You may find yourself playing over the events leading up
to the death in your mind and wondering if things could have been managed differently.

Anger

This can be experienced when it is hard to make sense of the circumstances of someone’s
death, or when the death seems unjustified or unfair.

All of these reactions are part of adjusting to, the loss (the death). You may feel some, all, or non, of
these emotions. If you struggling with feelings of grief please talk to someone or request
bereavement support and counselling.