The older adults' experiences of living in the nursing home during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study in Iran.
Zahra Asgari, Azar Darvishpour
PMID 36565157WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults in an Iranian nursing home described COVID-19 quarantine as intensifying fear, loneliness, homesickness and feeling forgotten, while still hoping for vaccines.
Nurses should ask residents how restrictions affect them.
Key findings
01Residents described a central theme of intensified life problems, with four main categories: feelings about COVID-19, intensified isolation and loneliness, imprisonment and feeling forgotten, and difficulty adapting.
02Fear included fear of catching COVID-19 and dying, fear of quarantine, and fear of family members getting infected.
03Residents said isolation and loneliness intensified, and they felt imprisoned and forgotten because visits, outings and group activities were restricted.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used one nursing home in Iran, so the experiences may not transfer to other settings or countries. It was qualitative, so it describes residents' accounts rather than measuring how common they were or whether restrictions caused outcomes. Residents needed to express experiences and had no cognitive or hearing impairment, so people with dementia, severe communication difficulty or sensory loss are not represented. The authors note that some participants may not have been honest, despite efforts to build trust.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that quarantine restrictions caused depression, dementia or falls in all nursing home residents. The study was qualitative, involved 20 residents in one Iranian nursing home, and excluded people with cognitive or hearing impairment.