Over the course of the last year and a half, the Coronavirus has swept across the world causing death and devastation to our geriatric population residing in long term care facilities, also known as nursing homes. This paper explores the complicated grief responses exhibited by individuals who were affected by nursing home resident COVID-19 deaths. Nursing home resident survivors, families of the deceased residents, and healthcare workers in this situation have experienced a wide variety of complicated grief responses that need to be addressed. To address this need, an application will follow regarding the usage of a garden memorial ritual and ceremony to help these grievers in their first steps of mourning.
Keywords: complicated mourning; coronavirus; garden memorial; geriatrics; healthcare workers; long-term care.