Relatives’ and stakeholders’ perspectives on pandemic-related visiting restrictions for German nursing homes: a framework analysis

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Abstract: Background: During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many countries restricted visits to nursing homes to reduce infections among residents and staff. This also affected the residents’ relatives, as personal contact was no longer possible. Aim: As part of a research network, we investigated the experiences, challenges, strategies, and consequences of visiting restrictions in nursing homes during the early phase of the pandemic from the perspective of relatives and stakeholders advocating residents’ interests. Methods: We conducted a qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured telephone interviews with relatives and stakeholders across federal states in Germany and applied a thematic framework analysis. Results: Ten relatives and six stakeholders from four federal states participated. We identified four themes: continuous adaptation to varying information and visit management, compensatory communication and contact offers, experiences with and overcoming emotional burden, maintaining the role as a family carer and taking responsibility at distance. Conclusions: The restrictions in the early phase of the pandemic had a strong impact on relatives of nursing home residents. The heterogeneous implementation of visiting restrictions led to emotional stress, increased burden, and feelings of exclusion for relatives. The role and significance of relatives of nursing home residents should be addressed in future pandemic plans for nursing homes. More emphasis should be placed on involving relatives of nursing home residents.

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