Caring for Terminally Ill Clients in Hospices and Social Services Facilities during the Peak of the Covid-19 Pandemic, with a Focus on the Experience of Relatives Regarding This Situation

ABSTRACT

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the worst public health crises in a century, with an expected death toll of several million worldwide and an even greater number of bereaved. Methods: We conducted qualitative research in the form of semi- structured interviews, using a consensus qualitative research method. We approached 16 participants who had a relative die from COVID-19 in hospice care or in a social services facility in Slovakia, or whose relative died during the peak of the pandemic of another lethal disease. Results: By analysing the interviews with the participants, we developed six main domains that formed the core themes of the testimonies, namely the course of the disease, experiencing placement during the anti-pandemic measures, the attitude of the staff, experiences of other family members, the last moments of life, and experiencing the grieving period.The main difference in comparing the testimonies of relatives who had a family member in hospice and those who had a family member in a social services facility was the perception of communication by health professionals.Relatives of the deceased in social services facilities subjectively described communication and the transmission of health information as having been inadequate, while relatives of the deceased in hospices reported a positive experience and no negative comments were observed. Another difference was that relatives with family members in hospices were more prepared and reconciled with the death of their family member compared to relatives with a family member in a social services facility. Conclusion: Exploring the experience of bereaved relatives provides valuable insight into how families coped and adapted when their family member was dying during the COVID-19 pandemic. This can help to better know and understand the needs of patients and their relatives in health and social care facilities, as well as the needs of the bereaved.