I wish we could tweak health care on the fly, wishful thinking I know, but this pandemic is sure teaching us how quickly policy turns into action, and how flawed this can be. I'm thinking back to 3 weeks ago when by Dad was in hospital with pneumonia. The evening he arrived the COVID-19 rules kicked in and my Mum and I were asked to leave the emergency waiting room. No chance really to say goodbye. We didn't see my Dad for 2.5 weeks. It was so incredibly difficult. Luckily a phone was installed in his room so we had some contact, but I cannot imagine how I would have felt battling a disease on my own in a hospital where I know no-one, and, more importantly, no one knows me very well. They don't know that I'm partially deaf and blind, anxious by nature and frightened sick of dying. As an end of life doula I am particularly sensitive to the non-medicinal comforts that are essential for end of life care. This went out the window with COVID, but I wonder if it's because we haven't come to see non-medicinal care as essential. The quarantine policies certainly do not take comfort care into account. Would it be so hard to train a family member or key contact to wear a mask, wash their hands and physically distance at the end of the bed? How would this be any different than care-workers coming into provide physical care? Visitors could be mandated to self-isolate like those who returned from foreign-soil travel. Perhaps those who are in recovery could be moved to a "minimal risk zone" in which one key emotional support person could visit. Facing dying alone is unfair and cruel.
My Mum, Dad and I were lucky. As a former care aide and RN respectively, we were able to have Dad discharged early and we provided the care he needed. I wonder if other families could do the same or be trained to do the same. Minimizing the number of patients who have to face dying alone is a key part of good care I think. Moving forward I challenge us all to think about how this can be done.
No one should die alone.