I find it helpful to listen to podcasts whilst I am doing household chores. For me it is an excellent alternative to reading (which I love to do to relax) because listening has the added benefit of allowing me to get things done whilst also learning.

I recently came across Finding Hope & Meaning Beyond Covid-19, part of the Good Grief Festival supported by the charity Marie Curie. The discussion was hosted by Anneka Rice who interviewed various doctors and other professionals about their thoughts and reflections on a year where death and dying has been brought centre stage into life.

GP Dr Amir Khan shared the upsetting news that more patients have been presenting late with cancer and other diseases as a consequence of the pandemic. However, he was positive about the impact of the vaccination programme. It was inspiring to hear about the kindness of the medical teams looking after patients during the pandemic.

Palliative care specialist Dr Rachel Clarke reminded us that the essence of good palliative care is the human connection. She said that physical things are sometimes the easiest for doctors to fix, whilst facing death can be the hardest thing to come to terms with. The presence of another human being at the end of life is vital but this seemingly simple event has been one of the biggest challenges during the pandemic.

Psychotherapist Julia Samuel reminded me that most potent medicine is love. There have been so many people who watched family members dying over devices, which has led to complex grief for many who were unable to give or receive the magical power of a hug. Nonetheless, Julia highlighted how, when we come through a devastating experience like the death of a loved one, people are changed by it and it can lead to post-traumatic growth.

Steve Bland who hosts the BBC podcast You Me and the Big C explained it is possible to hold onto hope, which is the alchemy that can create an energy that will rebuild a person after loss. Human contact is essential – not just around the dying person but around the bereaved after they have lost a loved one. Like me, Steve believes that if we change our relationship with death and become okay with talking about dying we can fully appreciate how precious life is.

Together the participants agreed that a “New Normal” was no longer possible because there are so many impacts from the pandemic that mean we will be living with the after effects for a long time to come. However, it isn’t all bad, one thing that particularly resonated with me was to hear about the micro acts of kindness that lifted people’s morale in the darkest times. These are true superpowers and reflect the best of human spirit.

Overall, the conversation made me stop to reflect about what I have learnt over the last year. I realise now that what really matters for me is community and human contact.

I highly recommend listening to this discussion, whilst you are cooking the tea or doing the laundry, and you can see (or just listen to) it here.