The Experience of Relatives of Nursing Home Residents with COVID-19: A Qualitative Study

Signe Tretteteig,1 Siren Eriksen,1,2 Adelheid Hummelvold Hillestad,2 Signe Gunn Julnes,3 Bjørn Lichtwarck,4 Anita Nilsen,3 Anne Marie Mork Rokstad1,3 1Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway; 2Lovisenberg Diaconal University College, Department of Bachelor Education, Oslo, Norway; 3Faculty of Health Sciences and Social Care, Molde University College, Molde, Norway; 4The Research Centre for Age-Related Functional Decline and Disease, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Ottestad, NorwayCorrespondence: Signe Tretteteig Tel +47 901 08 938Email signe.tretteteig@aldringoghelse.noBackground: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had significant consequences for relatives’ opportunities to communicate with and offer care to seriously ill and dying nursing home residents with COVID-19. Residents in nursing homes were urged to protect themselves through social distancing, and visits have been permanently regulated and limited. These restrictions have been challenging, and the limitations have raised many questions and led to difficult choices. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of relatives of nursing home residents with COVID-19. We investigated the following two research questions: How did relatives of COVID-19 patients in Norwegian nursing homes experience the situation and how did the physical distancing and precepts of infection control affect the relationship between the long-term residents and the relatives?.Methods: The study has a qualitative explorative design with a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach, with individual in-depth interviews used for data collection. The study included ten relatives of nursing home residents with COVID-19.Results: Three main perspectives were identified from the participants’ experiences: (1) the difficult choices; (2) maintaining the relationship; and (3) experiencing support. The relatives experienced eth