Morir en pandemia: itinerarios post mortem y narrativas de muerte de personas mayores en Chile

Objective: To analyze how older adults and their families experienced and made sense of death during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile. Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted in the Metropolitan and Los Lagos regions of Chile between 2023 and 2024. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven caregivers of older adults who died from COVID-19 and with six surviving older adults who experienced hospital deaths. Through inductive narrative analysis, post-mortem itineraries were reconstructed, and the death narratives of family members, caregivers, and surviving older adults were analyzed, situating these experiences within the context of health restrictions and high mortality. Results: The findings reveal dehumanizing processes in end-of-life care: deficient and unempathetic communication about death, degrading handling of bodies, deaths in solitude, and the disruption of funeral rituals. These experiences were felt more intensely in urban and hospital settings, while in rural areas, families attempted to preserve traditional support and rituals. Conclusions: Narratives of death and post-mortem journeys during the pandemic reveal processes of dehumanization and complex grief, highlighting the need to formulate public policies that guarantee a dignified, supported, and culturally meaningful death for older adults, especially in contexts of socio-health crises.