Family members' concerns about relatives in long-term care facilities: Acceptance of visiting restriction policy amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Aim: The policy enforcing visiting restriction during the COVID-19 pandemic may cause feelings of social isolation among residents in long-term care facilities. This study aimed to explore family members' concerns for their relatives during the lockdown period, assess their level of acceptance of the visiting restriction policy and determine the associated factors. Methods: From the 156 family members interviewed, demographic data, satisfaction with overall care quality, worry and concerns for their relatives, acceptance of the visiting restriction and arrangement for the residents if cluster infections occur in the facility were recorded. Results: Among the members interviewed, 83 (53.2%) were men; mean age of members was 56.3 ± 9.8; most were offspring of residents in the facility (n = 121, 77.6%), most visited the residents at least once a week (n = 113, 72.4%) before the lockdown. The most common concerns of the family members for their relatives were psychological stress (38.5%), followed by nursing care (26.9%) and daily activity (21.1%). Nearly 84.6% of those interviewed accepted the visiting restriction policy, and a higher satisfaction rating independently associated with acceptance of the visiting restriction policy (odds ratio 2.15). Conclusions: During the lockdown period, staff members should provide more psychological information about residents to their family members. Higher satisfaction rating was found to be independent of the acceptance of the visiting restriction policy. Therefore, good quality of care of the facility wins the trust of family members, and this might mitigate the tension between the family members and staff during a major crisis. Geriatr Gerontol Int ••; ••: ••–•• Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 938–942.