Working Hard for the Ones You Love and Care for Under Covid-19 Physical Distancing

Abstract

In 2020, Covid-19 was spreading quickly in nursing homes, leading to numerous challenges for care workers. We tell the story of Marieke, a devoted female care assistant working in a Belgian nursing home that is customer-centred in their organisational model. Her narrative provides poignant insights into the ‘work and life’ struggles and conflicts of a female care assistant facing the challenges of this model during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has left the largely female care workforce widely exposed to the risk of work intensification and over-involvement with residents, especially in a context of liberalisation and privatisation of care. In the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, this model led to Marieke facing the unprecedented fear of endangering her own life and the lives of those she loves. In this article, she reflects on her work and family life under the strain of ensuring physical distancing in a nursing home.

Cracks in the foundation: The experience of care aides in long‐term care homes during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…Although reporting similar themes, our study offers a more thorough and comprehensive view with its unambiguous focus on the experiences of care aides and our larger sample size. Previous studies with care aides outline pandemic hardships, [23][24][25] but not coping mechanisms. We uniquely identified that care aides used coping strategies such as spirituality, peer support, and teamwork.…”

“…Previous studies with care aides outline pandemic hardships, 23–25 but not coping mechanisms. We uniquely identified that care aides used coping strategies such as spirituality, peer support, and teamwork.…”

“…This study offers a poignant picture of care aide experience in LTC during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Of previous qualitative studies that interviewed healthcare workers, only 3 report exclusively on care aides in LTC homes, 23 , 24 , 25 with smaller participant numbers. Vermeerbergen et al 24 ( n = 1) reported themes of early pandemic concerns in a case study of resident isolation, overwork, and family‐life struggles.…”

“…Of previous qualitative studies that interviewed healthcare workers, only 3 report exclusively on care aides in LTC homes, 23 , 24 , 25 with smaller participant numbers. Vermeerbergen et al 24 ( n = 1) reported themes of early pandemic concerns in a case study of resident isolation, overwork, and family‐life struggles. Lightman and colleagues 23 ( n = 25), reporting the impact on immigrant women as social and economic exclusion and workplace precarity.…”

I smittspridningens spår

“…Här upplevdes framför allt låga nyckeltal i personalen och oro för både boendes och egna anhörigas liv som de största källorna till stress. För att kunna uppnå fortsatt hög kvalitet i servicen kompenserade personalen för organisationens personalbrist genom att ta på sig ett ökat omvårdnadsansvar (Vermeerbergen et al, 2021, se också Selberg, 2013.…”