Dying alone

[SouthWestmom]

I'm genuinely horrified at reports of people dying alone due to infection potential. It seems so inhumane. The latest is a child - what is being stored up in terms of mental health and emotional damage? I don't know the accuracy of this ; I can't understand this being the best or only course of action.
Does anyone have a better understanding of the reality from experience of the wards or hospitalisation processes?

Nurses would not leave someone conscious alone to die

Please don't suggest they would

. His family were not with him as they feared catching the virus, according to a GoFundMe

www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12321428

Thank you Noeuf . There is so much that's going on that is incredibly upsetting. I'm throwing myself into displacement activities.

First link also reports this young boy was one of 7 children.
Mum was widowed.
Maybe other responsibilities just prevented Mum from being there.
How very, very sad.

See, I thought that @Wingedharpy, but then the guardian says his sister who set up the funeral crowdfunder teaches at a college, so the littles could probably have been left with an older sibling. The family said no one could be with him because coronavirus is highly contagious.

Was there really any need to even report he had died alone, scaremongering at its very best. Poor boy and his family 😔

His poor mother. Presumably she had no one to leave the other children with.

Was there really any need to even report he had died alone, scaremongering at its very best. Poor boy and his family

The family put it on their crowdfunder page. The media will report whatever information they have.

His family were not with him as they feared catching the virus
That is absolutely not what the gofundme says at all, which is easy to check just by going to the page. What an absolutely appalling piece of reporting.

His poor mother. Presumably she had no one to leave the other children with.

That's not what the family's statement suggests. It was set up by his big sister, who is a teacher.

I haven't seen anyone report the family's motivations, they just quote:

'Ismail was only 13 years old without any pre-existing health conditions and sadly he died without any family members close by due to the highly infectious nature of COVID-19'

Leaves it open to interpretation.

So sad absolutely devastating.

My neighbour has also died alone from the virus which he caught whilst in hospital with a urine infection, he was a lovely man.
He was in his 80's and regularly called for ambulances as he was so worried about dying alone so would panic and call them every time he felt poorly.

It seems ironic that had he not called them this time that he may still be alive.

Why are the family crowdfunding? What do they need the money for? It's possible to have a funeral paid for by the state if they are hard up.

Should have said, "is", not "are", sorry.

The family feel sad that the boy died alone but if it was quick and peaceful, ie he was asleep, that's not a bad way to go. It's often worse for those left behind.

Ismail may have had undiagnosed health problems.
Hopefully, the coroners report will give the family some answers.

I suspect the child probably deteriorated quickly. No one would let a child die alone like that.

Lynda 07. Most undertakers will do a basic funeral free for a child, or yes you can apply for the DWP funeral grant but it barely covers even the essentials and would only pay for basic coffin etc. Maybe his family want more than a basic funeral for him, or maybe the crowd funding is to enable his family to take time off working to grieve or to support siblings. Not everyone is entitled to the funeral grant - you need to be on certain benefits but if you aren't it still doesn't mean you have the ready cash for a funeral bill. I tried to enquire to funeral directors recently whether they would do a funeral on some kind of payment plan and not one in our city would do that, they all wanted large amounts upfront before they would even set a date. In the end the hospital paid as they wanted his body gone form the mortuary. Very grim. So if crowd funding can help any poor family out of this situation it sounds like a good idea to me.

Bless his little heart. None of us know if we have undiagnosed health problems, most of the time it's best not to know.

I hope his end was peaceful and that family have some closure. It will take a long time for them to be able to process this.

Bless him

We are being told that 1 parent is allowed to be with their child and presumably the family of the 13 y o who sadly passed away had been with him anyway before admission so had been exposed ? Being with him after that wouldn’t have raised their risk further ?

I think it might be to stop an infected and asymptomatic parent walking around a hospital, even if it is from their car to the ward and they know the way they will pass a number of people, may use a handrail or open a door, press a lift button.

My Local hospital stopped all visits when BOJO was still talking about heard immunity.

Why are the family crowdfunding? What do they need the money for? It's possible to have a funeral paid for by the state if they are hard up.

My friend's 3 month old grandson passed away recently, they used the CoOp for the basic funeral but fundraised to get the 'nice' coffin and flowers and a car, they wanted the baby to have a 'proper' funeral.

Obviously with C19 things have changed.

It is very sad, but as we don't know the circumstances we should not be speculating.

Sad though it might be, people die alone all the time. My mother died in a rest home four weeks ago - she was in bed having a cup of tea after breakfast, half an hour later she was gone.

You are not taking into account that not everyone wants to have other people around them as they die. Not everyone one wants to inflict that spectacle/trauma on family or friends. For many, a peaceful (rather than an emotionally fraught) end is preferred.

Also his family will not have been allowed to the hospital as they had been in contact with someone with covid19 so they will have been told to self isolate. If it’s true that he had 6 siblings and his mum at least at home then there is no way they will have been allowed in to the hospital.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/01/allow-loved-ones-to-be-with-dying-coronavirus-patients-says-charity

Update on the story. Seems like the family weren't allowed because the patient had coronavirus.