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Prof. Dr. Sandra M. G. Zwakhalen

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School for Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
Interests: nursing; geriatrics; geriatric care at home; aging; long-term care; primary care

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid and unexpected presence of the COVID-19 pandemic created many challenges in the care for older adults living at home. The situation revealed problems but also resulted in several possible solutions for older adults and care workers to deal with problems and challenges. The pandemic will likely cause lasting changes in care delivery at home and result in lessons learned that need to be distributed. A Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health on "Geriatric Care at Home During the Covid-19 Pandemic" will be launched. This Special Issue will include high-quality quantitative and qualitative research (original articles, critical reviews, research notes, and short communications) on various aspects of COVID-19 and its challenges in geriatric care at home.

Prof. Dr. Sandra M. G. Zwakhalen
Guest Editor

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

geriatric care
geriatric care at home
care workers
covid-19

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 985 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In the Eye of the Storm: A Quantitative and Qualitative Account of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dutch Home Healthcare

by Anne O. E. van den Bulck, Maud H. de Korte, Silke F. Metzelthin, Arianne M. J. Elissen, Irma H. J. Everink, Dirk Ruwaard and Misja C. Mikkers

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(4), 2252; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19042252 - 16 Feb 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1790

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected healthcare delivery across the world. However, little is known about COVID-19’s impact on home healthcare (HHC) services. Our study aimed to: (1) describe the changes in volume and intensity of HHC services and the crisis management policies implemented; (2) understand the responses and the experiences of HHC staff and clients. We conducted an explanatory sequential mixed methods study. First, retrospective client data (N = 43,495) from four Dutch HHC organizations was analyzed. Second, four focus group interviews were conducted for the strategic, tactical, operational, and client levels of the four HHC organizations. Our results showed that both the supply of and demand for Dutch HHC decreased considerably, especially during the first wave (March–June 2020). This was due to factors such as fear of infection, anticipation of a high demand for COVID-19-related care from the hospital sector, and lack of personal protective equipment. The top-down management style initially applied made way for a more bottom-up approach in the second wave (July 2020–January 2021). Experiences vary between levels and waves. HHC organizations need more responsive protocols to prevent such radical scaling-back of HHC in future crises, and interventions to help HHC professionals cope with crisis situations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geriatric Care at Home During COVID-19 Pandemic)

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16 pages, 3182 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of COVID-19 from the Perspectives of Dutch District Nurses: A Mixed-Methods Study

by Jessica D. Veldhuizen, Sandra Zwakhalen, Bianca M. Buurman and Nienke Bleijenberg

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 13266; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413266 - 16 Dec 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3195

Abstract

Little is known about how COVID-19 affects older patients living at home or how it affects district nursing teams providing care to these patients. This study aims to (1) explore, from the perspectives of Dutch district nurses, COVID-19′s impact on patients receiving district nursing care, district nursing teams, and their organisations during the first outbreak in March 2020 as well as one year later; and (2) identify the needs of district nurses regarding future outbreaks. A mixed-methods, two-phase, sequential exploratory design was followed. In total, 36 district nurses were interviewed during the first outbreak (March 2020), of which 18 participated in the follow-up questionnaire in April 2021. Thirteen themes emerged, which showed that the COVID pandemic has substantially impacted patient care and district nursing teams. During the first outbreak, nurses played a crucial role in organising care differently and worked under high pressure, leading to exhaustion, tiredness, and psychosocial problems, including fear of infection. A year later, nurses were better prepared to provide COVID care, but problems regarding work pressure and mental complaints remained. The identified needs focus on a sustainable implementation of leadership roles for district nurses. At the organisational and national levels, more support and appreciation are needed in terms of trust and appropriate policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geriatric Care at Home During COVID-19 Pandemic)

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