UCC School of Nursing and Midwifery Annual Report 2020

Translating Evidence & Innovation for Health

Research team is formed to explore the emerging issue of COVID-19 visitor restrictions to Residential Care Facilities and the associated impact on families: The ERiC Project (Engaging Remotely in Care)

Cornally et al. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 visitor restrictions on family of people living in Residential Care Facilities (RCF). Qualitative perspective. 20th Annual Research Conference, School of Nursing and Midwifery, UCC. Related resources Blog article- Residents and families mourn as restrictions are imposed on visiting nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Link to website https://mysupportstudy.eu/ events/blog/ Also, the team have a paper accepted for publication by the Journal of Nursing Ethic’s entitled “Visitor Restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic; An Ethical Case Study.”

Older persons are disproportionally affected by the virus and in particularly those living in congregated settings are deemed at even greater risk with some 56% of confirmed deaths occurring in nursing homes in Ireland. In an effort to safeguard and protect residents within these settings, strict public health measures were put in place, precluding families and friends from visiting. Our research aims to aid understanding of the impact of restrictions on families and will potentially improve communication between staff, residents and families. A web-based survey was launched on 30th of June 2020 and received over 225 responses from family members, friends and legal guardians of residents currently residing in RCFs. Visit our webpage for more information https://www.ucc.ie/en/nursingmidwifery/research/ theericprojectengagingremotelyincare/ The Team: Nicola Cornally, Caroline Kilty, Catherine Buckley, Rónán O’Caoimh, Mark R. O’Donovan, Margaret P. Monahan, Caroline Dalton O’Connor, Serena Fitzgerald, Selena O’Connell, Irene Hartigan. Survey Results O’Caoimh, R., O’Donovan, M. R., Monahan, M. P., Dalton O’Connor, C., Buckley, C., Kilty, C., Fitzgerald, S., Hartigan, I. & Cornally, N. (2020). Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 Nursing Home Restrictions on Visitors of Residents With Cognitive Impairment: A Cross-Sectional Study as Part of the Engaging Remotely in Care (ERiC) Project. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 1115. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33192731/

This work has informed the Joint Committee on Health regarding ‘the changes in the daily life specifically for the elderly in nursing homes’ due to current restrictive health measures. The team are working with the Health Innovation Hub to support a tech company pilot and implement a communication platform to enhance remote engagement and connection between family and residents.

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