Bereavement support needs to be accessible to more people, as report finds the Covid-19 pandemic had a 'profound impact' on those who lost a loved one
The report says many of the challenges facing bereaved people were brought into sharper focus during the pandemicBereavement support needs to be accessible to more people, according to the UK Commission on Bereavement .The feeling of being alone in their grief during lockdown was "devastating".
Josh Willis, from Londonderry, lost his wife, Samantha, during the Covid pandemic. She was 35 and died, with Covid,He said counselling had made a big different to him and his family with his daughter Liliana, five, receiving play therapy. "But I would go as far as to say everybody should do it at some point and try it out. Whether it's work related, or family related or bereavement or just mental health in general.
Common issues among adults included feeling "unable to say goodbye the way they had wanted", "not being physically present when their loved one died", "a lack of support from professionals", and "social isolation and loneliness".Joan McEwan, associate director of policy at the end-of-life charity Marie Curie said: "Funding is vital to transform adults and children's experience of grief and bereavement.
The commission's chair, the Right Rev Dame Sarah Mullally, said it was "incumbent upon us all to work together to improve the experiences of bereaved people".
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