Abstract
This research aims to explore the perception that occupational therapists working in elderly care facilities have about the measures implemented against the COVID-19 pandemic in their resources, and the impact that these measures have had on occupational therapy in these facilities. An interpretive paradigm was selected, using a qualitative approach and a phenomenological design. Sixteen occupational therapists working in elderly care facilities in two Spanish regions were included. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. A discourse analysis of the narrative information was carried out using open, axial, and selective coding processes and the constant comparison method. Four themes were extracted from the analysis results: The initial chaos in senior centers; The blurring of occupational therapists’ roles; The emergence of technology; and organizational and therapeutic proposals for future pandemics. The pandemic had a significant impact on the care and therapeutic processes in elderly care facilities. Occupational therapists had to stop performing their functions to dedicate themselves to other support, auxiliary or communication tasks between the center and the families. Similarly, it is worth noting the emergence of low-cost technology to facilitate communication and to carry out some therapeutic interventions.
Highlights
The outbreak and rapid international spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for COVID-19 [1,2], has become a public health emergency that has causedmany cases worldwide and thousands of deaths
The present study explores the perception that occupational therapists working in care facilities for the elderly have about the measures implemented against the COVID-19 pandemic in their facilities
The results of the content analysis of the interviews have yielded four themes that describe how occupational therapists carried out their work during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic
Summary
The outbreak and rapid international spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for COVID-19 [1,2], has become a public health emergency that has causedmany cases worldwide and thousands of deaths. In Spain, the first wave of COVID-19 was virulent, which forced the health system to implement drastic strategies to deal with the pandemic that radically changed the daily lives of millions of people from one day to the next. In Spain, the first wave of COVID-19 was virulent, which forced the health system to implement drastic strategies to deal with the pandemic that radically changed the daily lives of millions of people from one day to the The measures developed both in many homes for the elderly and in many of the care facilities for people with disabilities have meant that residents spent a significant number of hours a day in their rooms, that stimulation, rehabilitation, and care activities were significantly reduced, or even that many facilities saw their doors closed. The interventions that had been carried out up to that time were carried out virtually [4]
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