Ansattes erfaringer og strategier for å opprettholde omsorg for personer med utviklingshemming som bodde i tilrettelagt bolig under covid-19-pandemien

Abstract

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the Norwegian government introduced intrusive measures to deal with the epidemic. The municipalities were given responsibility for implementing measures to reduce the risk of infection for people receiving municipal health and care services. Persons with intellectual disabilities receiving such services were affected by these. In this study, we examine the experiences and strategies used by staff working in assisted home living facilities for people with intellectual disabilities during the Covid-19 pandemic. Main challenges identified through our study concerned housing closures, social isolation of residents, lack of health follow-up of residents, increased staff sick leave, and communication challenges between staff. The results showed that employees and managers adopted several different strategies to maintain service provision. Some succeeded, while others did not, and some relied on current guidelines, while others adapted strategies based on the user groupʼs special needs. We conclude that measures implemented by the government and health and care services were not sufficient to ensure a resilient service for people with intellectual disabilities living in assisted home living facilities during the Covid-19 pandemic.