Impact of COVID-19 on Long-Term Care Quality and Well-Being
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly disrupted long-term care (LTC) settings worldwide, exposing vulnerabilities in infection-control systems, staffing models and psychosocial frameworks. Stringent protective measures—ranging from universal visitation bans to resident cohorting—slowed viral transmission yet often undermined residents’ emotional wellbeing, family engagement and the perceived dignity of care. Rapid hospital discharges into care homes, in the face of limited testing and personal protective equipment, heightened risks of outbreaks and cast light on systemic gaps in care integration between acute and residential sectors. Staff shortages, high turnover and burnout challenged continuity of care and compounded organisational trauma and ethical dilemmas around balancing safety with quality of life. At the same time, the crisis stimulated innovation: services implemented telehealth and video-calling platforms to sustain connections, adapted compassionate care visits to maintain essential social contact, and refined protocols to better align infection prevention with meaningful daily activities. Emerging evidence underscores the need for holistic strategies that integrate robust infection-control practices with psychosocial support, tailored communication channels and adaptive staffing models. Such approaches aim to safeguard both physical health and emotional resilience among residents, families and care teams, informing future preparedness for health emergencies and reinforcing human-centred LTC delivery.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Impact of COVID-19 on Long-Term Care Quality and Well-Being publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in impact of covid-19 on long-term care quality and well-being across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Long-term care (LTC): A variety of services designed to meet the personal and health care needs of individuals over an extended period, often provided in residential settings such as care homes.
Dehumanisation: The process by which individuals are treated as lacking personal identity or dignity, often manifesting through isolation or restrictive practices.
Cohorting: An infection-control measure that involves grouping residents or staff to limit cross-contamination and manage outbreaks.
Psychosocial support: Interventions aimed at addressing psychological and social needs, including emotional wellbeing and social connectedness.
References
- Challenges and improvements associated with transitions between hospitals and care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study with care home and healthcare staff in England. Age and Ageing (2023).
- The impact of protective measures against COVID-19 on the wellbeing of residents in nursing homes and their relatives: a rapid review. BMC Geriatrics (2023).
- Video Calls as a Replacement for Family Visits During Lockdowns in Aged Care: Interview Study With Family Members. JMIR Aging (2023).
- Staff Perceptions of Compassionate Care Visits for Nursing Home Residents During Restricted Visitation. Journal of Nursing Management (2024).
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.