Do you work in the death care sector? Have you recently experienced a death? Want to share your stories of death during the coronavirus pandemic with the world?
The DeathTech Research Team at the University of Melbourne in Australia has established a platform to share accounts of how the COVID-19 pandemic is changing death care. They are looking for stories about end-of-life and mortuary care, arranging funerals, and ongoing memorialization.
This information is of interest to the DeathTech Research Team as part of their research into death and technology in the 21st century. They’d like to know what you are experiencing now. How are funerals happening, if they are happening at all? How are bodies being handled, what is different? What other developments have you seen?
You can upload your reflections to the interactive map here. To add a reflection, click on the large plus sign, select a location, and then add your text. You can also email deathtech-reserach@unimelb.edu.au if you would prefer that they upload your contribution.
They are particularly interested in first-person accounts, reflections on new technologies being used and new rituals, as well as the emotional, professional, and social impact of these changes. You can include links to news articles, images, or videos. The researchers will also add published articles about death during COVID-19 to the map.
You can choose to upload anonymously if you wish. You can also choose to identify yourself and/or your company in the post. The location you set for the post can be as specific or general as you wish.
Privacy and Access
As an open platform, you can also view what is happening elsewhere in the world and learn from others facing similar circumstances. This means that your contribution will be public, and access is not limited to the research team.
You are free to withdraw your contribution at any time. Please contact DeathTech (deathtech-research@unimelb.edu.au) to do so.
If you are uploading images or videos, please ensure you are the one to have taken them (or can cite the original source) and have permission of those in them to upload the image/video.
The software platform being used for this project is called Padlet. If you would like more information about the wider project, please contact the DeathTech Research Team (deathtech-research@unimelb.edu.au).
This is part of a research project that has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of The University of Melbourne. Ethics ID number 1954540.1. You can download the Plain Language Statement and Consent Form for that project at http://www.deathtech.org
