5/20/2023 0 Comments Space funeral 4 difficultyHowever, in late 2019 and in the 2 years since, the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic (referred to here as COVID-19) has seen millions of deaths globally, and with it many restrictions on visitors to those who are very ill in both hospitals and in aged care facilities ( Burrell & Selman, 2020 Parks & Howard, 2021). These rituals can assist in mitigating grief responses in part through the underlying mechanism of restoring feelings of control ( Norton & Gino, 2014). Evidence suggests that mourning rituals play an important role in the grieving process. ![]() The funeral ritual has been present for millennia across countries, cultures and religions, most often preceded by family presence during the dying period, followed by gathering together to say goodbye ( Jordan et al., 2021). Funerals have also served as a reminder of mortality although the professionalisation of the industry has removed many of the direct preparation elements from the community ( Lundgren & Houseman, 2010). They can vary widely in form and function but have the collective goal of farewelling someone, a place where participants can express grief and share sorrow, remember the person who has died and their life, mark the transition from living to dead, and act as a starting point for recovery ( Mitima-Verloop et al., 2019 O’Rourke et al., 2011 Walter & Bailey, 2020). Comments made as part of this MOOC activity provide a unique insight into the community’s experience of funeral changes necessitated by COVID-19, with important implications for the grieving process.įunerals are a universal after-death ritual ( Woodthorpe, 2017). opportunity to have a way to participate when travel barriers existed, versus a sense of impersonal voyeurism) and the challenges related to the inability to physically comfort the bereaved due to physical distancing requirements. Themes included the positives and negatives of virtual funeral attendance (e.g. ![]() From this activity, n = 204 responses were analysed qualitatively. This study investigated 2020 MOOC participants’ responses to an online activity reflecting on funerals and memorials during the time of COVID-19. ![]() In week 1, the content focused on how today’s society engages with death through the language we use, humour, public mourning and funerals. A Massive-Open-Online-Course (MOOC) on death and dying (Dying2Learn) was offered in 2020, designed to build conversations about death as a natural part of life.
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