Department of Psychology and Education, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal.
CINTESIS, Center for Health Technology and Services Research, Porto, Portugal.
J Gerontol Soc Work. 2022 Oct;65(7):782-794. doi: 10.1080/01634372.2022.2043505. Epub 2022 Mar 3.
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed care facilities for older adults under high pressure. This study aimed to identify the perception of staff in Portuguese Residential Care Facilities for Older Adults about their experience during and right after the first lockdown (March/April 2020) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It comprises 198 respondents who answered an open question about their experiences during the pandemic on an online questionnaire. The main findings suggested three themes: 1) a cascade of new needs on top of old problems; 2) working on the razor's edge: a difficult balance between protecting against the virus and maintaining one's well-being; and 3) a need for support and appreciation. The pandemic has exposed and accentuated the fragilities of Residential Care Facilities in Portugal, which operate with low budgets, and minimum staff. The measures to protect against infection have to be balanced by actions to maintain psychosocial and rehabilitation activities with the residents, to promote their well-being and functional capacity.
COVID-19 大流行给老年人护理机构带来了巨大压力。本研究旨在了解葡萄牙老年人居住护理机构工作人员对 COVID-19 大流行期间（2020 年 3 月/4 月）和首次封锁后的经历的看法。该研究共调查了 198 名工作人员，他们通过在线问卷回答了一个关于大流行期间经历的开放性问题。主要结果提出了三个主题：1）在旧问题的基础上产生了一系列新的需求；2）在刀尖上工作：在防止病毒和维护自身福祉之间艰难平衡；3）需要支持和认可。大流行暴露并加剧了葡萄牙老年人居住护理机构的脆弱性，这些机构的预算和人员都很低。保护感染的措施必须与保持与居民的心理社会和康复活动相平衡，以促进他们的福祉和功能能力。
