Findings indicate that new technologies may advance data collection methods for people with cognitive-linguistic impairments who face participation barriers in face-to-face interviews.

The death rate that we are seeing from COVID-19 is unimaginable, with experts predicting the pandemic will ultimately claim hundreds of thousands of lives. The death toll has already far exceeded the total population of renown cities such as Miami, USA or Canberra, Australia. Behind each death listed as a statistic, there is a social network of family and friends who will be profoundly impacted by the loss. The usual funerals, rituals and customs that occur after a death are now the new casualty of the virus. Indisputably, restrictions are necessary to curb the spread; however, concerns are raised regarding how this will impede on the ‘normal’ grieving process. Undoubtedly, there will be a surge in persons developing bereavement complexities in future years, with a direct correlated link to COVID-19.

Overall, health professionals have been slow to recognise the needs of families and carers, and have tended to marginalise their input in aiding consumer recovery. Despite the rhetoric of carer inclusion in mental health policy, the continued lack of systematic involvement of carers in mental health systems ensures that they remain outside the realm of core business in mental health treatment. Based on dialogues with 31 participants in a series of focus groups who are directly engaged in caring for an adult with a serious mental illness, this study reinforces the need for carer inclusion and legitimacy, and highlights necessary changes to service delivery that acknowledge carer isolation and secondary stigma. The importance of psychoeducation programs, consistency in case management roles, and better information about the interface with legal systems were seen as particularly critical.

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