Health care services for older people in COVID-19 pandemic times – A Nordic comparison

• Objective: to  explore  the  Nordic  municipal  health  and  care  services’  ability  to  promote  principal  goals  within  care  for  older  people  during  the  cOViD-19  pandemic.Design  and  setting: two  surveys  were  conducted  among  managers  of  municipal  health  care  services  for  older  people  in  Denmark,  Finland,  Norway  and  sweden;  the  first  around  6  months  into  the  pandemic  (survey  1),  and  the  second  around  12  months  later  (survey  2).  Data  were  analysed  through  descriptive  statistics,  and  multiple  regression  (Ols).Subjects: 1470  (survey  1,  2020)  and  745  (survey  2,  2021)  managers.  32%  in  home  care,  51%  in  nursing  homes,  17%  combined.Results: in  all  countries  the  pandemic  seems  to  have  had  more  negative  impact  on  eldercare  services’  ability  to  promote  an  active  and  social  life,  than  on  the  ability  to  promote  or  enhance  older  people’s  mental  and  physical  health.  the  regression  analysis  indicates  that  different  factors  influence  the  ability  to  promote  these  goals.  Managers  within  nursing  homes  reported  reduced  ability  to  promote  mental  and  physical  health  and  an  active  social  life  to  a  significantly  lower  degree  than  managers  of  home  care.  the  effect  of  three  prevention  strategies  (lock  down,  testing,  and/or   organisational   change),   were   explored.   Organisational   change   (reorganize   staff   and   practice,  restrict  use  of  substitutes)  tended  to  impact  the  units’  ability  to  promote  a  social  life  in  a  positive  direction,  while  lock  down  (areas,  buffets  etc)  tended  to  impact  both  the  ability  to  promote  mental/physical  health  and  a  social  life  in  a  negative  direction.Conclusion: Measures   that   can   improve   opportunities   for   an   active   and   social   life   during   a   pandemic  should  have  high  priority,  particularily  within  home  care.KEY  POINTS• it  is  important  to  learn  from  how  the  cOViD-19  outbreak  in  2020  affected  the  municipal  health  and  care  services’  ability  to  achieve  principal  goals  within  care  for  older  people.• the  pandemic  had  a  more  negative  impact  on  the  services’  ability  to  promote  an  active  and  social  life,  than  on  their  ability  to  promote  or  enhance  mental  and  physical  health.• Measures   that   can   improve   opportunities   for   an   active   and   social   life   during   a   pandemic   situation  should  have  high  priority,  particularily  within  home-based  care.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Primary health care

eldercare

older people

cOViD-19

pandemic

managers

Nordic countries

Människan i vården

The Human Perspective in Care

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ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)