Sage Palliative Medicine & Chronic Care

This episode features Dr Lucy Selman  (Palliative and End of Life Care Research Group, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK). Twitter is a rich repository of data reflecting contemporaneous public opinion. The idea of dying alone is contrary to the concept of a ‘good death’ in many cultures, and not being able to say goodbye is a known risk factor for poor bereavement outcomes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many bereaved people have been unable to be present when their loved one died due to setting-specific infection control restrictions that vary across regions and institutions. Twitter users expressed sadness, despair, hopelessness and anger about their experience and loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the challenges they experienced before the death compounded by a lack of social support and disrupted rituals afterwards. A sense of political neglect or mistreatment was frequently expressed, alongside calls for action, but Twitter users also used the