Background The COVID‐19 pandemic has significant impact on long‐term care (LTC) residents’ health and well‐being. Objectives This study investigated resident experiences of loneliness during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Canadian LTC homes to offer lessons learned and implications. Methods 15 residents and 16 staff members were recruited from two large urban Canadian LTC homes with large outbreaks and fatalities. We used a telepresence robot to conduct one‐on‐one semi‐structured interviews with participants remotely. We applied the Collaborative Action Research (CAR) methodology and report the early phase of CAR focused on collecting data and reporting findings to inform actions for change. Thematic analysis was performed to identify themes. Results Four themes were identified. The first two themes characterise what commonly generated feelings of loneliness amongst residents, including (1) social isolation and missing their family and friends and (2) feeling hopeless and grieving for lives lost. The second two themes describe what helped residents alleviate loneliness, including (3) social support and (4) creating opportunities for recreation and promoting positivity. Conclusions Residents living in LTC experienced significant social isolation and grief during the pandemic that resulted in loneliness and other negative health consequences. Implications for practice Promoting meaningful connection, safe recreational activities and a positive atmosphere in LTC homes during the pandemic may help mitigate residents’ experiences of loneliness due to social isolation and/or grief and enhance their quality of life.

Objective. Occupational balance is a person's subjective perception of the amount and variation of their everyday activities. Evidence suggests an association between occupational balance and health. However, the impact of arthritis on occupational balance and its association with health is unclear. This exploratory study was undertaken to examine associations between occupational balance and measures of health and between-group differences in adults with and without inflammatory arthritis (IA).Methods. In a cross-sectional study, participants completed the 11-item Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ-11) and the Short Form 36 (SF-36) health survey (physical and mental component summary scores) and provided demographic information. Telomere lengths were analyzed from dried blood spots.Results. A total of 143 adults participated (67 with IA, 76 from the healthy comparison [HC] group). Occupational balance was higher in the HC group than in the IA group (mean difference 3.5 [95% confidence interval 1.0, 5.9; P = 0.01]), but this difference was not statistically significant when adjusted for physical health. The association between occupational balance and physical health was stronger in the IA group (R 2 = 0.17, P = 0.001) than in the HC group (R 2 = 0.05, P = 0.05). Occupational balance was associated with mental health (R 2 = 0.26, P < 0.001) but not associated with telomere length (R 2 = 0.02, P = 0.24).Conclusion. Occupational balance is associated with mental health for all participants and associated with physical health and disease activity in participants with IA. Attention to assessment of and strategies for improving occupational balance in rehabilitation practice and arthritis self-management programs may contribute to sustaining physical and mental health.

Similar research examining a range of occupations may help to identify the health-promoting benefits of occupation and inform lifestyle interventions.

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