Guilt, tears and burnout-Impact of UK care home restrictions on the mental well-being of staff, families and residents.
Clarissa Giebel, Kerry Hanna, Paul Marlow and 7 others
PMID 35188292WHAT IT FOUND
Family carers and care home staff described anger, guilt, broken trust and burnout during UK care home visiting restrictions.
Residents' distress was reported by staff and families, not measured, so this is experience data, not tested interventions.
Key findings
01Family carers reported growing anger and loss of trust over visiting restrictions.
02Care home staff reported increased workload, added tasks such as testing and PPE, and limited psychological support.
03Face masks were reported to hide facial cues, obscure expressions and muffle voices, and were described as causing difficulties in basic communication.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only family carers and care home staff were interviewed, so residents' experiences were second-hand. Convenience sampling through third sector organisations, networks and social media may limit transferability. Very limited minority ethnic representation, and only among staff. Follow-up included fewer participants than baseline, so some findings are not repeated over time. The study reports perceptions and experiences, not measured clinical outcomes or tested interventions.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts. Funding was from the National Institute for Health Research and the Department of Health.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that visiting restrictions caused measured harm to residents or that staff support interventions work. Residents were not interviewed, and the study reports experiences and perceptions, not outcomes.