Has COVID-19 changed the way we think about a good death?

Preparing for death and making arrangements for end of life care has always been a part of our lives, regardless of however taboo it has seemed. During a global pandemic, have we been forced to see things differently? Death in general is a subject we tend to avoid talking about as a society. However, with the pandemic claiming millions of lives worldwide, can we really avoid discussing it any longer? People of all ages were affected, and countless people unexpectedly lost their loved ones. When thinking of terms such as a 'good death' or 'end of life care', we typically associate these phrases with the terminally ill or the elderly. With the aftermath of the pandemic, we have been faced with the reality that many people affected by Coronavirus were also in great need of palliative care. For many affected by the virus, a good death was a luxury as opposed to the necessity it should be. With the pandemic still ongoing, an important lesson for us to learn is that our negative notions of death need to change, if we are to truly value life.