Table 4. Emerging themes from the narratives of residents, with codes and sub-codes in eight nursing homes in Brussels, Belgium, June 2020.

Residents
Codes and Sub-codes	Theme
Experience and perception of prohibition of movements;	Loss of freedom
Experience and perception of isolation from outside world;
Forced changes in habits (shopping, laundry);
Prison metaphor;
War metaphor;
Experience of eating alone;	Loss of social life
Experience and perception of blockage of entertainment activities;
Absence of family visits;
Absence of friends’ visits;
No more contact with other residents;
Fear of loneliness
Boredom;	Loss of distraction and stimulation
Absence of distraction;
Oversleeping;
No more physical therapy;
Losing interest in doing anything
Source of information about the pandemic;	Loss of autonomy
Access to information (media; TV; newspapers);
Knowledge about the containment measures;
Feeling abandoned;
Feeling treated as a child;
Feeling useless / unworthy;
Not asked for suggestions;
Excluded from decision-making process
Lockdown: anger, stress, depressive feelings;	Perception of own wellbeing
Losing hopes, feeling negative;
Losing interest in life;
Being together with other residents;	Needs
Family visits;
Being treated respectfully;
Activities, distractions;
Fair information;
Human contact;