Nursing Home Residents' Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Long-term care facilities in the United States have accounted for 40% of deaths related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Restriction of in-person visitation has heightened mental health challenges among nursing home residents, and limited evidence exists in the literature concerning nursing home residents' experiences since the COVID-19 outbreak first began. The current study used a qualitative design to obtain data from residents within two nursing homes in New York. Interview data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four major themes emerged: Emotional Reactions to Lockdown , Mixed Feelings and Attitudes Toward Nursing Home Staff and Family, Need for Support and Connection, and Desire to Be Informed and Involved . Results show that nursing home residents are emotionally burdened and suggest a critical need to provide ongoing support to prevent mental health concerns. Future research should develop interventions to help manage adverse emotional outcomes. [ Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 49 (4), 27–32.]

Expectations for safety of nursing home residents and their family members during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

“…If the staff could be accommodated in NHs, the risk of staff moving between facilities and their homes might be reduced. Visitation restrictions could interrupt the spread of COVID-19 to some extent, but also heighten mental health challenges among NH residents, as confirmed by Raciti [ 19 ]. NHs may establish flexible and diversified visitation systems, such as video chatting, to ease the older adults’ yearning for their families.…”

Learning from the experience of dementia care for nursing home residents during the pandemic

“…In this issue of JAGS, Gadbois and colleagues, through qualitative interviews, open a window into the challenges and decisions faced by nursing home administrators during an 18-month time period, starting in July 2020, of the pandemic. They identified themes that highlight how the disorientation we all felt during the pandemic was amplified for residents living with dementia, the challenges and disruptions inherent in implementing infection control procedures in this population, the toll, which has been described elsewhere 1,2 of the loss of social interactions from visitation and group activities. A few points merit further discussion, including the need to underscore the role of family caregivers in nursing homes and opportunities to coalesce around solutions to solve persistent challenges in nursing home settings.…”