COVID-19's Impact in Long-Term Care Facilities: The Health and Coping Strategies of Older Adults and Their Families.
Christine Cohen, Maryline Abt, Louise Bélanger and 1 others
PMID 39382352WHAT IT FOUND
Long-term care residents and families described isolation and visiting bans as causing fear, loneliness and lost time.
Staff used calls, letters, screens and flexible end-of-life visits, but digital contact did not replace touch or help severe dementia.
Key findings
01Residents and family members described separation and visiting bans as causing suffering on both sides.
02Remote contact was mostly appreciated but did not work for all residents, especially those with significant neurocognitive disorders.
03Staff had to change strategy to let families say goodbye at end of life because usual 24-hour presence and sleeping support were not possible.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Interviews and focus groups happened about 6 months after the first lockdown, so participants may have forgotten or changed details. Many residents died when facilities reopened, so only the least physically and psychologically fragile residents may have taken part. The study reported experiences and perceptions, not measured health outcomes, so it cannot show whether staff strategies worked. Participants came from eight French-speaking Swiss long-term care facilities, so the findings may not apply elsewhere.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these strategies as proven treatments that improve resident health. The study reports what residents, families and staff described in interviews and focus groups, not measured outcomes.