Patients dying alone ‘distressing’

Coronavirus patients are dying alone as the authorities try to stop the disease spreading – but a public health expert says it is time to reconsider the restriction.

The family of a Christchurch woman in her 90s was unable to see her before she died of Covid-19 on Thursday.

It is also unlikely that relatives of two men – one in his 70s from Christchurch and another in his 80s in Wellington – were allowed to see them before they died.

Hospitals in Northland, Auckland and Wellington have closed their doors to visitors while New Zealand is under lockdown.

A relative of an 86-year-old resident of Auckland’s Ellerslie Gardens Lifecare rest home who is being treated in hospital for Covid-19 said being unable to visit her unwell loved one was an added stress.

‘‘I might not get to say goodbye to him if he doesn’t pull through.’’

University of Auckland public health professor Ngaire Kerse leads longitudinal research on the care of older people.

She said the thought that older people could not have a loved one with them in their final hours was ‘‘distressing’’.

‘‘We all know it might be necessary but potentially a visitor could wear full PPE [personal protective equipment]. I don’t know what the right answer is but we should think about it a bit

Ngaire Kerse

Public health professor

more. I think the ripples around that will go out very broadly [for] those daughters, sons, nieces, nephews, whoever they are, if they lose their older relative and aren’t actually allowed to visit them.’’

A paper published on the Swiss Medical Weekly last month recommended loved ones of dying Covid-19 patients be allowed a final visit. ‘‘In spite of any ban on visits to care homes, relatives must be offered the chance to be with the patient and say goodbye, while complying with protective measures,’’ it said.

Kerse said New Zealanders needed to have a conversation about whether deathbed visits should be allowed.

‘‘I think that’s something we all need to think about very hard. I’m not saying it’s the right or wrong thing to do. But we are a compassionate society and we should be thinking about that actively.

‘‘At the time when people are really unwell and in their last day or so, I do think we need to reassess the compassion of allowing a visitor to come sit with them.’’

‘‘I think that’s something we all need to think about very hard.’’