The 32,000 direct deaths COVID-19 has caused in Canada has also taken a toll on the survivors. Given all the health restrictions, how do you care for someone in their last days or give them a proper funeral service? What longer-term effects do these restrictions have on people who are grieving?

Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, a research team will take a deep dive into these and other questions in a Canada-wide scientific study over the next four years. Specifically, their work will focus on changes in the physical, social, mental, and spiritual health of the bereaved.

The aim of the study is to assess these health outcomes and identify factors that may explain health deterioration or protection along bereavement trajectories. The model explaining changes in the health of the bereaved during the pandemic will provide policymakers and health and social services professionals with key insights into risk and protective factors.

The study will be conducted by academics from universities in Québec and Ontario who are calling for participants. Specifically, individuals who have lost a loved one since March 2020—regardless of the cause of death—are invited to participate in an online survey that started on January 26 and will run through 2025. Participants must be 18 or older, live in Canada (be a citizen or permanent resident), and have lost a loved one since March 12, 2020, no matter the circumstances.

The questionnaire takes about 25 minutes to complete.

To participate, click here,

For more information: http://uqac.ca/covideuil or email: info@covideuil.ca

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