Objectives: The aim of this study is to examine the consequences of Covid-19-related isolation and social restrictions on the well-being of nursing home residents and their family members, and to analyze how distancing has affected the relationships of family members with residents and the nursing home staff. Design: The data consist of 41 thematic one-on-one interviews conducted during May–December 2020 with family members of nursing home residents. Convenience sampling was utilized by asking several nursing homes in different parts of Finland to relay a contact request from the researchers to the residents’ family members. The main themes of the interviews were lockdown and visiting restrictions. Subthemes included the frequency of visits, other means of interaction, changes in the relationships of family members with their loved ones and with nursing home staff, and the feelings aroused by the situation. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim, resulting in 794 pages of data. Method: The qualitative study uses inductive content analysis. NVivo12 software facilitated the systematic coding of the data. Results: According to the family members, distancing aggravated the residents’ pre-existing conditions: they reported a sudden progression in memory disorders and significant deterioration in physical abilities, for example. Both residents and family members experienced anxiety, grief, and severe stress, and family members expressed concern that residents might die due to a lack of social contact and activity. Family members were also frustrated about not being able to touch their relatives or participate in their care, and therefore sometimes thought that their visits were useless. New forms of interaction with family members, introduced by the nursing homes, were appreciated. However, some family members perceived the interactional protocols as unfair and complained about insufficient information. Conclusions: The findings underline the need for nursing homes to implement a good interactional protocol. Overall, the results show that the measures taken to protect residents’ health during the Covid-19 outbreak were short-sighted in terms of the social dimension of well-being. It is therefore important to continue developing safe and humane solutions for interaction when social restrictions are in place. Tweetable abstract: Covid-19-related distancing has caused anxiety, grief, and severe stress for nursing home residents and their family members.

Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan hoivakotiasukkaiden läheisten kokemuksia koronapandemiasta. Laadullisen tutkimuksen aineistona on 41 läheisten kanssa tehtyä teemahaastattelua (794 sivua litteroituna) ja metodina aineistolähtöinen sisällönanalyysi. Tulosten perusteella vierailukiellot ja etäisyyden pitäminen ovat heikentäneet läheisten hyvinvointia sekä suhdetta asukkaaseen ja hoitotahoon. Läheiset olivat huolissaan asukkaan voinnista ja hoidosta ja kokivat tilanteen vuoksi ahdistusta, surua ja voimakasta stressiä. Moni kertoi asukkaan terveyden tai toimintakyvyn heikentyneen pandemian aikana huomattavasti, ja voinnissa tapahtuneiden muutosten uskottiin johtuvan aktiviteettien ja sosiaalisten kontaktien puutteesta. Läheiset kärsivät myös siitä, etteivät he saaneet turvavälivaatimuksen vuoksi osoittaa hellyyttä tai osallistua asukkaan hoitamiseen, kuten syöttämiseen. Vierailemista ilman yhteisiä aktiviteetteja ei aina koettu mielekkääksi, ja osa oli turhautunut epäreiluiksi kokemiensa käytäntöjen vuoksi. Läheisillä oli kuitenkin myös hyvin myönteisiä kokemuksia hoivakotien joustavasta toiminnasta ja poikkeusoloja varten kehitetyistä uusista yhteistyön muodoista. Tulokset korostavatkin tarvetta kehittää turvallisia tapoja, joilla läheiset voivat osallistua hoivakotiasukkaiden elämään ja hoivaan myös poikkeuksellisina aikoina.