“This path I must walk alone”. Challenges experienced by older patients while recovering from severe COVID-19 – a qualitative study

Abstract

Background In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic challenged both the Norwegian population and healthcare system. In this study we explored how older men and women experienced rehabilitation and recovery after hospitalisation due to severe COVID-19. Methods Semi-structured interviews with 17 participants aged 60–96 years were performed 6 months after discharge from hospital. A thematic descriptive analysis was conducted. Results The results revealed that the participants experienced a challenging span between loneliness and companionship in recovering from severe COVID-19. The four subthemes highlighted experiences of being discharged to home and left to themselves, the importance of exercise and companionship at rehabilitation stay, requirement of self-effort and time to recover, and the challenging span between loneliness and companionship when being with family. Conclusion Among participants, the experiences of loneliness throughout the recovery period were striking. An individualised approach including psychological support should be emphasized in primary healthcare to promote recovery in older survivors after severe COVID-19 and their next-of-kin.

“It was almost like it’s set up for people to fail” A qualitative analysis of experiences and unmet supportive needs of people with Long COVID

“…Little is known about the long-term impact of COVID-19 and the variety of PASC experiences, management, and recovery, including psychological and socioeconomic impact [19,20]. Of the existing studies, several have explored decreased quality of life and found negative impact on ability to maintain employment; however, research is limited [16,[21][22][23]. People have conveyed a variety of experiences in regard to initial infection, isolation, protracted illness, and improvement of postacute sequelae [24].…”

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social isolation and loneliness – A Nordic research review

“…One study (Engström et al, 2022) examined COVID-19 patients who had been treated in ICUs. These people expressed strong feelings of isolation and loneliness, and had nightmares about terrifying events, death, and dying, even months after hospital discharge (Heiberg et al, 2022). We do not know whether the strong feelings of loneliness and isolation were a consequence of the isolation of COVID patients, or if they related to the life-threatening disease as such, but similar results for loneliness were found in another study among people with a life-threatening disease such as cancer (Hanghøj et al, 2021).…”

Experiencing COVID-19, home isolation and primary health care: A mixed-methods study

“…In agreement with hospital-based studies ( 16 , 22 ), the physical environment (e.g., space and access to a garden) significantly influenced the illness experience during isolation. Loneliness has been described as a relevant theme during and after acute COVID-19, especially in older patients ( 51 ) and separation from children very difficult ( 52 ). We, however, found no studies identifying family management and conflicts, the bureaucratic burden linked to COVID-19 and organizing care for vulnerable family member outside the own household as additional stressors.…”