Perspectives from the Netherlands: Responses from, Strategies of and Challenges for Long-Term Care Health Personnel

Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis severely afflicted the Dutch long-term care sector. To protect vulnerable residents of nursing homes the government took several measures, of which the complete nationwide visitors’ ban was the most restrictive. These measures had not only a large impact on residents but they also greatly impacted nursing home personnel. Based on a descriptive review and a few interviews, this paper discusses the measures taken in the Dutch long-term care sector and the challenges healthcare personnel encountered in terms of workload and well-being. It further explores the strategies that were implemented to support personnel to cope with these challenges.