THE EXPERIENCE OF USERS OF HOMES FOR THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC - QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Pandemija COVID 19 zasigurno je jedna od najvećih bitki s kojom se čovječanstvo suočavalo u posljednje vrijeme. Od pojave prvog slučaja virusa u Wuhanu, Hubei provinciji Kine, slijedilo je rapidno proširenje virusa zbog čega je SZO izdala niz protektivnih mjera među kojima je mjera izolacije. Na temu COVIDA-19 napravljeni su brojni radovi te je adresiran utjecaj koji je virus imao na sve aspekte života. Ipak dio društva koji je uvijek predviđen i marginaliziran, starije stanovništvo, najviše je pogođeno virusom. Cilj ovoga rada je istražiti psihološke posljedice, samo dodatno produbljene, među ionako već jednim od našeg najranjivijeg dijela populacije. Iz toga razloga proveli smo kvalitativno istraživanje na 9 štićenika doma za starije i nemoćne, putem polustrukturiranog intervjua. Glavni cilj ovog istraživanja je bio utvrditi doživljaj korisnika domova za starije i nemoćne za vrijeme pandemije COVID19, dok je specifični cilj istraživanja bio utvrditi njihove strahove, nadanja i očekivanja. Kroz istraživanje protezale su se 3 teme: straha, usamljenosti te izolacije. Na kraju istraživanja naišli smo na većinski pozitivne doživljaje i iskustva štićenika za vrijeme pandemije. To uočavamo pretežno kod tema straha i usamljenosti, kod kojih je čak 8 od 9 ispitanika izjavilo da ih nisu osjećali. Kod teme izolacije naišli smo na pomalo drugačije rezultate, gdje njih 6 navodi da nije imala pretežan utjecaj na njih. S druge strane ostalih 3 ispitanika iskazalo je velik doživljaj tuge koju je izolacija ostavila na njih. Zanimljivo je bilo otkriće motiva koji se pojavljivao kod svih ispitanika, a to je motiv sudbine kao svojevrsnog načina mirenja i suočavanja sa trenutnom životnom situacijom. Na temelju rezultata moguće je zaključiti da iako je većina štićenika zadovoljna te je imala pozitivne dojmove, opet postoje oni koje osjećaju određenu razinu straha, usamljenosti te trpe posljedice izolacije. Smatramo da je njihov glas, kao i glas čitave starije populacije važno čuti, stoga ovaj rad ima veliku vrijednost u nadi promicanja i unaprijeđenja sestrinske skrbi osoba starije životne dobi te štićenika domova za starije i nemoćne.The COVID 19 pandemic is certainly one of the biggest battles humanity has faced in recent times. Since the appearance of the first case of the virus in Wuhan, Hubei province of China, there has been a rapid spread of the virus, which is why the WHO has issued a series of protective measures, among which is the measure of isolation. Numerous papers have been written on the topic of COVID-19 and the impact that the virus had on all aspects of life was addressed. However, a part of society that is always predicted and marginalized, the elderly population, is the most affected by the virus. The aim of this paper is to investigate the psychological consequences, only further deepened, among one of our most vulnerable population. For this reason, we conducted qualitative research on 9 residents of a home for the elderly and infirm, through a semi-structured interview. The main goal of this research was to determine the experience of users of homes for the elderly and infirm during the COVID-19 pandemic, while the specific goal of the research was to determine their fears, hopes and expectations. 3 themes spread throughout the research: fear, loneliness and isolation. At the end of the research, we came across mostly positive experiences of residents during the pandemic. We observe this mostly with the topics of fear and loneliness, where as many as 8 out of 9 respondents stated that they did not feel them. Regarding the topic of isolation, we encountered slightly different results, where 6 of them stated that it did not have a major impact on them. On the other hand, the other 3 respondents expressed a great experience of sadness that the isolation left on them. What was interesting was the discovery of a motive that appeared in all respondents, which is the motive of fate as a kind of way of reconciliation and coping with the current life situation. Based on the results, it is possible to conclude that although the majority of residents are satisfied and had positive impressions, there are still those who feel a certain level of fear, loneliness and suffer the consequences of isolation. We believe that their voice, as well as the voice of the entire elderly population, is important to hear, therefore this work has great value in the hope of promoting and improving nursing care for the elderly and residents of homes for the elderly and infirm