TABLE 2.
ID | Direct quotes | Source a |
---|---|---|
S1 | And then, I must say that we were quite quick to immediately find a way to get them in touch. We started making video calls with our phones right away, but within just a few days, the director provided these … small tablets, in short, to make video calls | Nurse, female, more 10 |
S2 | Uh well, there was no way to actually enter the house there, and you could only have phone contacts. Then the departments were saying to have the … the tablet that you could use for video calls | Family member, female, under 65 |
S3 | Now the animation team, as well as the physiotherapist and the nurse, are largely involved in these things: video calls, and regular calls too. Then the residents who can use the phone or an app, already do so | Doctor, female, more 10 |
S4 | Always like that, through a person, an assistant, I would call and say “put my sister-in-law on the line” and she would pass her to me, and then she would say “hello, hello!” | Family member, female, over 65 |
S5 | […] and I granted exceptions to certain people to come in and say goodbye to their loved ones, especially in the final stages of life for those who were dying (sighs) | Nurse, female, more 10 |
S6 | I also knew another lady whose mother was there, and we used to see each other often. Her mother was in the Alzheimer’s ward. This lady … her mother practically passed away gradually and died right during that COVID period, and she and her siblings were allowed to visit their mother one at a time inside the Alzheimer’s section, where she was in bed and couldn't get up anymore | Family member, male, over 65 |
S7 | When they initially imposed the lockdown, it was difficult to keep her indoors. So, they used to tell me to come and take my mom because she was extremely anxious. I would pick her up, not touching her, and maybe walk for an hour on the village streets. Then I’d come back, walking back and forth, or taking routes with no traffic. She would be on the sidewalk, and I would be in the middle of the road | Family member, female, under 65 |
S8 | Actually, for some individuals, the medical director allowed visits in the rooms based on all the cantonal-level criteria, which allowed for a bit of contact. Otherwise, there were some who were just giving up on life. So, there are a whole series of factors to take into account in this sense. And voilà, there are a few individuals who have gone out for birthdays. There are two wives who come, twice a week, and they stay in the room with their husbands because otherwise, it’s difficult for them to be separated | Nurse, female, less 10 |
S9 | Yes, she is on the second floor, and we used to talk from the terrace, you know, they allowed us to do that | Family member, female, under 65 |
S10 | We have a facility that allows most of the rooms, I would say almost all of them, to overlook the garden with a balcony. So, for those who can manage it, having an appointment that doesn't involve any risk, like saying, “I’ll come today at 3 and say hello to my mom from the window,” we’ve come up with this approach. We also have a garden, a closed-off section, which allowed us to be adequately distanced but still visually connected to the family member, although a bit visually distant | Animator, female, more 10 |
S11 | And as I was saying, I make up for it with letters that the ladies read to her. I talk about everything, I talk about my grandchildren. I have 9 grandchildren, so I have many things to share | Family member, female, over 65 |
S12 | Well, every now and then, there would be a drawing from a granddaughter or even gifts. They were in quarantine and then they would come up – a drawing, a dove for Easter, cookies … there was a back and forth of packages, you know. And that was enough | Nurse, female, more 10 |
S13 | We had the opportunity to see our mother again, initially in a designated area for this purpose, with masks and, well, a plexiglass wall that made her visible but prevented direct contact. So, again, we used a mobile phone as a mediator, with the challenges that a mobile phone entails in these situations | Family member, female, over 65 |
S14 | We constructed small sitting areas with plexiglass in the middle, sort of a barrier between the family member and the patient. However, there was visual contact, and we installed a microphone that allowed conversation. So, with prior appointments and maintaining distance between appointments, disinfecting all surfaces between each session, and so on, family members could request a meeting. They could see and hear each other, without physical contact | Nurse, female, more 10 |
S15 | Alternatively, we have a bar with windows on the ground floor that allow the resident, who was inside the closed bar, to communicate with the outside through the glass. At least with a greeting, a momentary connection, even holding a phone in hand, they could see each other | Animator, female, more 10 |
S16 | Yes, the window! Initially, there was the window, twice a week, where we could go at least two times | Family member, female, under 65 |
S17 | And then from there, but quite early, already in May, we transitioned to the garden with the nice weather, right? So, the elderly person is under the pergola, then there’s a barrier 2 m away, and there’s the family member. This happened fairly quickly | Family member, female, under 65 |
S18 | Then, at a later stage, not too long after, now I’m not very good with dates, but well, when it became possible, even physical contact was allowed. Two closed sitting areas with plexiglass were added as additional meeting points. And there are two outdoor points of contact as well, where family members can have physical contact with the resident. Of course, the family member has to wear a gown, have their body temperature checked before arriving, etc. So, in reality, we now have four meeting points – two indoors with plexiglass and two outdoors with physical contact | Nurse, female, more 10 |
Source column is organized as follows: role, gender, age (for family member) or years of experience (for healthcare professional).