AdvancesinMethodologyandStatistics/Metodološkizvezki,Vol.18,No.2,2021,39–51
https://doi.org/10.51936/blxm2502
TheimpactofpandemiccontainmentmeasuresCOVID-19
onsocialworkresearchwitholderpeople
JanaMali
∗
UniversityofLjubljana,FacultyofSocialWork,Ljubljana,Slovenia
Abstract
Researchingpeople’severydaylives,exploringandworkingoutanswerstogetherwithpeople
arefundamentalprocessesofsocialwork,whetherworkingwithindividuals,differentgroups
or communities. Without research, we cannot possibly know what specific tasks we can
undertake or what social work goals we can achieve when it comes to helping situations.
In recent decades, social work with older people has directed research toward the area of
exploring the needs of people in long-term care, which has been shaped primarily by the
COVID-19pandemic. Measurestakentocontainthepandemichavelimitedorevenprevented
opportunities to research the real-life situations of people in long-term care. Social work
researchwitholderpeoplewaslimitedinitsabilitytodeterminetheimpactofthepandemic
onthelivesofolderpeople,whichwasaviolationoffundamentalethicalvaluesinproviding
tailored care in the new life situations of the most vulnerable, frail, and needy members
ofsociety. Thispaperhighlightstheimportanceofsocialworkresearchthataddressesthe
immediatelivingenvironmentinordertofullyunderstandpeople’slifesituationsthatimpact
thedevelopmentofboththeprofessionandthescienceofsocialwork. However,thebarriers
to research due to pandemic containment measures have impacted the profession and the
developmentofsocialworkscience.
Keywords: Long-termcare,Socialwork,Needsofolderpeople,COVID-19pandemic
1. Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic invaded the world in 2020 and will probably determine the
course of our lives for years to come. Older people have been the most affected, with
a 15% increase in old-age mortality in the first wave of the pandemic (Morley & Vellas,
2020). Amongolderpeople,themostvulnerabletothediseasewerethosewhohadmultiple
comorbidities and thus needed intensive health care. In Slovenia, these groups of people
areusuallycaredforinolderpeople’shomes;therefore,thedataprovidedbyFlaker(2020),
whostatedthatolderpeople’shomesarealmostexclusively“coronaground”,isnottheleast
surprising.
∗
Correspondingauthor
Emailaddress: jana.mali@fsd.uni-lj.si(JanaMali)
ORCIDiD: 0000-0001-7851-6216(JanaMali)

40 Mali
Itisworryingthattheconceptofsocialisolation,followingtheprinciple—thelesscontact
onehaswithpeople,thelesslikelyoneistofallill—wasintroducedworldwideasapreventive
measuretoprotectoneselfagainstthedisease. Theolderpopulationthatisalreadysuffering
theconsequencesofsocialisolationduetoageingwasthehardesthitmainlyfortworeasons.
First, ageing is an extremely stigmatised social phenomenon (Berg-Weger & Schroepfer,
2020) that makes older people isolated, excluded from social events and bereft of social
power. Second,duetothereducedsocialcontactswithpeersthatistheconsequenceofthe
naturalprocessofdyinginoldageandsmallersocialnetworks. Inbothinstances,theresult
is loneliness. Even before the pandemic it was known that loneliness is one of the most
seriousphenomenainoldagethatdeterminesthequalityofhumanlife(Flakeretal.,2008;
Mali,2008b). Fornow,theextentoftheconsequencesoflonelinessthatisaby-productof
measuresofsocialisolationinthewakeoftheCOVID-19pandemiccanonlybeanticipated.
Very early, the pandemic exposed some social phenomena that in social work simply
cannotbeoverlooked. Themeasurestakenonbythecountriestopreventthespreadingofthe
diseaseandprotectthecitizenhavepromptedawaveofinequalitiesamongpeople,poverty,
abuseanddistressabouthowtomakeendsmeetinnewcircumstances. Thepandemichas
drawn attention to the notions of ageism that have penetrated all the pores of our social
action. (Berg-Weger&Schroepfer,2020)highlightthefactthatthepoliticshaveneglected
theattitudetowardsolderpeoplewhichismanifestedatthestatelevelintermsoftheadoption
ofprotocolsthatarenottailoredtoolderpeople’sneeds,thelackofgerontologicalcontentin
educationcurriculaofvariousprofessionsdealingwithprovidinghelptoolderpeopleand
theinequalityinprovidingsourcesofhelpduringthepandemic,sinceolderpeopleareoften
notentitledtoreceivethem.
Socialworkisadisciplineandprofessionthattendstorapidlyandflexiblyrespondtothe
socialphenomenathatpromptinequalitiesandviolationsoffundamentalhumanrights(Berg-
Weger&Schroepfer,2020). Thesamewastruealsoduringthepandemic. Thecorevalues
andprinciplesoftheethicsofsocialworkrequiretheprovisionofcareforthemostvulnerable,
frailandneedymembersofsociety. MillerandLee(2020)describesomeofthemosturgent
rolesofsocialworkthatarenottobeneglectedduringthepandemicastheypresentastarting
point of new practices and forms of help: ensuring social justice, fostering interpersonal
relations,providingautonomyanddignityofolderpeople,educationandtrainingformutual
understanding and help. Recent experiences in social work with older people (Beltran &
Miller, 2020; Brennan et al., 2020; Kusmaul et al., 2020; Miller & Lee, 2020; Morley &
Vellas, 2020; Perry et al., 2020) show how unprepared the society is to deal with older
people’s distress, and how unprepared the field of social work education is to increase the
numberofsocialworkersinthefieldofsupportforolderpeople,whichisamatterofextreme
concern. Theyshowtheprevailingdismissingattitudetowardstheageingofpopulationand
addressingtheneedsofolderpeople.
Inthecontextofissues,dilemmasandchangesthatwerebroughtaboutbythepandemic
in the field of social work with older people, the area of research is also facing numerous
changes. Thefirstsectionofthepaperbringsforwardthespecificcharacteristicsofsocial
workwitholderpeople. Duetothelackofclarityinthedevelopmentoflong-termcarein
Slovenia at the systemic level, social work brings attention to the urgency to research the
needsofolderpeopleinneedoflong-termcaretobeabletodevelopformsofhelpandcare
thatwouldefficientlyrespondtotheirneeds,wishesanddistress. Thesecondsectionbrings
forwardourresearchinthelast14yearsonthattopic. Thechangesintroducedinresearchin
theareaoflong-termcareofolderpeoplewiththeCOVID-19pandemicarediscussedinthe
thirdsection. Thefocusisontherelevanceofdirectresearchinthefield,amongthepeople,

TheimpactofpandemiccontainmentmeasuresCOVID-19... 41
becausesocialworkresearchcanonlytakeplaceinreal-lifesituationsattheverymoment
when the distress is most present. Unfortunately, some measures to contain the pandemic
madesuchresearchvirtuallyimpossibleandstilltendtosetlimitationstoit. Thefinal,fourth
section brings forward a critical view on the consequences of the measures to contain the
pandemic in recognising its impact on the lives of older people in need of long-term care
withanaimtoactdifferentlyinthefuture,particularlytoagreaterbenefitinaddressingthe
long-termdistressofolderpeople.
2. Researchonsocialworkwitholderpeopleinthecontextoflong-termcare
Social work with older people, due to its development more than a decade ago had
a great potential to become a specialised area of social work. Since the end of the 20th
century, the increase in the share of old population brought attention to the phenomena
accompanying old age, ageing and older people. However, social work with older people
remainedrelativelyinvisibleandanalmostoverlookedareaofsocialwork(Mali,2012,2016;
McDonald,2010;Rayetal.,2009). Thediscussionsonthefutureroleofsocialworkinthe
newmillennium(Payne,2005)centredaroundsupportingthedevelopmentofspecialisation
intheareaofsocialworkwitholderpeople. NathansonandTirrito(1998)drewattentionto
socialworkasadynamicdisciplinethatrespondsrapidlytothenewcircumstancesinsociety.
Phillips(1996)attributedaspecialroletosocialworkwitholderpeople, sincehefeltthat
the existence of social work depends on this very area. In the new millennium, the older
populationmeantagreatchallengeforsocialwork. Nevertheless,upuntilnowthereisvery
littleliterature,researchandeducationprogrammesavailablethatwoulddevelopspecialist
knowledgetobeabletoactinthisarea.
Similarly,inSloveniawewereconvincedthatthespecifictopicsassociatedwithknowl-
edgeonoldageandchangesthatarebroughtaboutbyoldagerequiredaspecialisedareaof
socialwork. Wewereconcerned;whileabroadthisareaisreferredtobythetopicalideaof
gerontologicalsocialwork,inSlovenia,gerontologyasascienceisnotdevelopinginaway
thatwouldbringtogetherandunitescientistsanddisciplinesinthefieldofageingandthus
enablethedevelopmentofspecialisedscienceofageing—gerontology.
1
The gerontological social work, as it is called in some places abroad, is not developed
inSlovenia;here,wediscusssocialworkwitholderpeople. AttheFacultyofSocialWork
inLjubljana,thereareundergraduatestudyprogrammesandaMasterprogrammeinsocial
workwitholderpeopleaswellas,since2020,aChairofLong-TermCare. Webelievethat
thecontentandsubjectmatterofsocialworkwitholderpeoplerequirespecialisedknowledge
tobeabletoact,implementtasksandprovideskillsthatdefinethespecialisedroleofsocial
workersalsowithinsocialwork. However,socialworkersneedgenericknowledgeofsocial
workandofotherdisciplinesthatdevelopknowledgeforabetterunderstandingofoldage.
The association of generic social work and specialised social work with older people is
inevitable, but not necessarily unidirectional, since specialist knowledge may impact the
generic one. A more intense inclusion of older population in social work and response to
the needs of older people bring forward new methods and skills in social work. For the
boundaries between theory and method are fluid in social work. Social work is all about
theoriesonhowtoactinparticularsituations,itisnotaboutthesubstantivetheoriesonthe
natureofthisorthatobject(inthecaseofsocialwork—ahumanandasociety),inorderto
beableto“act”onit,ortreatit(Flaker,2003). Thedynamicsofsocialworkisthereforenot
1
SeeMali(2008b)andMaliandHrovatiˇ c(2015).

42 Mali
onlyabouttheabilitytorespondtosocialchange;thereisalsoadynamicwithinsocialwork,
betweentheoryandmethodology. Itispossibleforthetheoriesinsocialworktoshowhowto
actandworkinpractice,butitisequallypossiblethatthemethodsdesignoradapttheories.
Inthelastdecade,aspecialisedknowledgeintheareaofsocialworkwitholderpeople
hasbeenassociatedwithlong-termcare. Whenanexpertisedebateonlong-termcarestarted
insocialandhealthcarepolicies,wefelttheneedtopresentourownexperiencesandfindings
in this area. We have carried out a lot of research on people’s needs and how to find out
whattypeandqualityofhelptheyneedinlong-termcareandhowtorespondtothem. This
approachwasdevelopedbasedonyearsofresearchintothelivingworldofpeopleinneedof
long-termhelpandsupport(Flakeretal.,2008). Olderpeoplearethelargestgroupofpeople
inneedoflong-termcareandthisiswhywehavelinkedthedevelopmentofsocialworkwith
olderpeoplewiththetopicoflong-termcare. Thecourseofthisdevelopmentwaspublished
in five monographs, i.e. the pentalogy of writings on long-term care: the first part defines
long-termcare(Flakeretal.,2008),thesecondpartpresentshowtosetitupandintroduce
it(Flakeretal.,2011),thethirdshowsthemethodstoimplementit(Flakeretal.,2013),the
fourth how to set it up and maintain it in a concrete local environment, more precisely, in
Ljubljana(Mali,2013),andthefifthpartpresentstheinnovationsbroughtaboutbylong-term
careinolderpeople’shomes(Malietal.,2018).
Ourresearchfindingsshowhowtheresponsetopeople’sneedsextendstodifferentlevels
ofsocietyandtheindividual—macro,mezzoandmicro—becauseinrealitylong-termcareis
aboutsettingupthewholesystem,aboutthechangesinorganisingandsettingupconcrete
servicesforconcreteusers. Despitethefactthatthelevelsareinterconnectedacrosstheboard,
theymustbetreatedseparately,butthereshouldbeaconstantconnectionbetweenthem.
The micro level shapes and legitimises organisational and methodological solutions,
organisationalformsandstructures,andtheirinterrelationships,includingtherelationship
with informal forms, individualised and concrete services, rights, and formal measures
throughstrategies,principles,paradigms,andthesystemandlegislation. Laws,policies,the
system, and legislation are not only the top of the hierarchy of response to people’s need,
but more importantly are expressions of political relationships and the effects of political
power. Todiscusslong-termcare,theremustbeprofessionaldiscussion,analysisofneeds
andresponses,andpoliticalprocessesthatcreatearealpossibilityforimplementingabstract
plans. Themezzolevelincludestheoperationalandorganisationallevels(operationalising
themicrolevel). Reorganisationofexistingservicesisnecessarytoredesignlargerfacilities,
distributeservices,ensureconnectionandchangeintheworkofprofessionals,andeliminate
thepunitiveperspectiveinresidentialandotherstructures. Inadditiontotherestructuring
ofexistingservices,newservicesandstructuresmustbecreated,inawaythatinvolvesthe
organisationofnewspaces(housing,socialisationandemployment),newformsandmethods
ofworkindifferentorganisations(keyworkers,individualisation). Inadditiontoproviding
newservices,wealsoneedtoenablenewactivitiesbylinkingtheorganisationswithactivities
outsidetheirownareaofinterest,allowinggreaterchoice,moreevents(becauseoneofthe
characteristicsoflifeinorganisationsthatcareforvulnerablegroupsisvegetation),butabove
allcollaborationandinvolvementofusersintheplanningandimplementationofservices.
Inthiscase,weneedtoensuretheflowoffundsthatwillallowinnovationandchangeand
provide transparency. At this level, we could also establish the register of (new) methods,
whichalsomeansoperationalisation,butatthelevelofguidingprocedures,waystoachieve
goals,andnotsomuchattheleveloforganisationalmeans,butratherwithclearlydefined
patterns, a basic approach to human distress, understanding and (co-)redesigning of one’s
livingworld. Inadditiontotheforms(socialcare,helpandsupport)atthislevel,thereare

TheimpactofpandemiccontainmentmeasuresCOVID-19... 43
alsoprogrammesandprojects,formsandprojectsoftraining,culturalandartisticactivities
andsocialcapitalasanintermediatelevelofstructeringhelpandsupport. Themicrolevel
consistsofservices,means,rights,proceduresandtheintroductionofinnovationsinalltheir
dimensions. Thelatterneedtobebasedonthelackofservices,polivocality(theabilityto
respondtoagreaternumberofneeds,butnotinauniformway),thedegreeoftransversity
(linkingdifferentlevelsoflife)andproductivity(creatinganewqualityoflife).
Our work to date shows that social work with older people has a great potential in
the context of long-term care. When considering the future of social work in the area
of long-term care the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be ignored as
the pandemic has also affected the area of social work and revealed many unresolved and
traditionallyoverlookedtopics. Neglectingthedevelopmentoflong-termcareandfocusing
onthedevelopmentofinstitutionalcarehasprovedtobeinappropriate,sincetheinfections
spread most rapidly in older people’s homes where the mortality among the residents was
the highest (Flaker, 2020). Not only residents were affected by the consequences, but
also older people living in home environment, as they were deprived of home care due to
underdevelopmentofcommunitycare,whichareadditionalreasonsforintensiveresearchin
thefieldofcontemporarysocialwork.
3. The changes in the field of research in social work with older people due to the
COVID-19pandemic
Thepandemichasalsohadamajorimpactonthefieldofsocialworkeducation,sincein
thefirstyearandahalfofthepandemicallformsofteachingwerecarriedoutatadistance,
usinginformationandcommunicationtechnology(ICT)thatdoesnotallowdirectcontact
with students. During the first and second waves of the pandemic the implementation of
practice was particularly challenging, especially in the field of long-term care, since older
people’s homes closed their doors to all outside workers, did not admit any new residents,
home-basedcarewasprovidedonlywithstrictmeasuresontheuseofprotectiveequipment,
whileintergenerationalcentres,day-activitycentresandday-carecentresclosedtheirdoors.
Gainingexperiencesforsocialworkwitholderpeopletookplaceremotely. Thismaybeseen
asanewformofacquiringknowledge,butitcannotpossiblyreplacethedirectcontactwith
people. Duringthesecondwaveofthepandemicanotherchallengeappeared. Namely,the
students in social work were not allowed to do field research. The Ministry of Education,
ScienceandSportjustifiedthismeasureonthegroundthattheteachingprocesswaspartof
the research activities of social work students. As the teaching process was carried out at
a distance, the research was also to be carried out at a distance. However, it was precisely
thepeopleinneedoflong-termcarewhoweredisadvantaged,astheexistingICTwasnot
adequatetobeabletoresearchtheirdifficultiesandproblems.
Insocialwork,researchhasaspecialplaceforvariousreasonsandtasksthataredoneby
socialworkers. Mostoftenresearchisapartofsocialworkpractice,whenwedoresearch
along with users and try to find out about their life situation (Alston & Bowles, 2020) to
be able to understand their distress as much as possible and what they are dealing with in
theireverydaylives,whichareusuallyquitedifferentandmorecomplexthanourown. The
researchers establish a special and specific relationship with people and are expected to
providesolutionstothedistressthattheusersexperienceintheirliveswhichmakesitdifficult
for them to live. The solutions they thought would help them have proved unsuccessful.
Social work does not know any universal solutions to people’s distress, social work does
notheallifedistresswithdrugs,itdoesnotprescribemedicine,doesnothavelaboratories

44 Mali
availabletomakeexaminations. Our“laboratory”arereal-lifesituationsofpeopleandthat
requiresdirectcontact,arelationship,notatadistanceusingamobilephoneorcomputer. Itis
difficulttoimaginethatadaughterwhosemotherdiedduetotheconsequencesofCOVID-19
andwasnotevenabletosaygoodbyetoher,wouldtrustusherfeelings,emotionsanddistress
throughZoom. Itisevenmoredifficulttoimaginethatanolderladywouldconfideinusthat
sheexperiencesdomesticviolence—physicalandemotional—orthatshewouldgiveusacall
becausesheneedshelp.
ICTisusefulinsocialworkasatoolofcommunication,butwecannotpossiblyimplement
social work concepts with it because it makes direct human relationship impossible. Our
ethicalstancedoesnotallowustoacceptuniversalsolutionsthatareconsideredapplicable
to all groups of people, all life situations, and all possible distress experienced during the
pandemic. The distress of people who need long-term care is specific; we know that and
werecognisedthatearlyon, intheearlystages ofresearchon theneeds inlong-term care.
Therefore, research in this area is also specific, especially adapted to the capacities and
capabilities of people that current ICT does not cover in all dimensions.The next specific
characteristic of research in social work is the fact that it is necessarily intertwined with
social work practice. The implementation of research is therefore most often associated
with qualitative research, since it makes possible getting to know people’s life situations
thatarerelatedwitharesearchproblemandresearchquestions. Mesec(1998)claimsthat
qualitative research is relevant for social work for at least three reasons: (i) it is directed
towardsresearchingtherealproblemsofpeopleandnottowardsdistantacademicdebates,
(ii) it is open to various data on research phenomena and not only to data that stem from
theexistingtheories,(iii)itenablesresearchonvarioussocialunitiesintheireverydaylife
context. Further on, each of the mentioned perspectives is discussed in more detail and
embedded in the context of research in the area of long-term care during the COVID-19
pandemic.
3.1. Researchingreal(authentic)life-situationsofpeople(socialworkusers)
In social work, we define research problems as those situations in people’s lives that
arerelevanttotheresearchparticipants. Wedepartfrommoreorlessknownsituationsthat
areperceivedinsociety,whiletheresearchproblemaccordingtoMesec(1998,p.30): “is
formulated from their point of view”. For instance, in the area of long-term care research
is most often focused on the research of the need for long-term care in order to make the
formsofhelpasadequateaspossible. Theexpectedoutcomeoftheresearcharethefindings
thataredirectlyapplicabletopeopleinneedoflong-termcare,toexpertsinlong-termcare
whoprovidehelp,andtosocialworkerswhocanusetheresearchfindingstoimprovetheir
methodsofhelp.
In new social situations we tend to research the topics we know little about as well as
areas of research that are relevant to social work, but we still need to find out more. For
instance, there is a field of care intended for the dying, known in healthcare as palliative
care. Socialworkersarebecomingincreasinglyrecognisedasexpertsinthisfield(Beresford
etal.,2007;Reith&Payne,2009),andsocialworkmethodsneedtobedeveloped,adaptedto
newknowledgeinthisfield,whilesocialworkneedstoevolveandbeplacedalongsidethe
medicalandhealthprofessionsthatarecurrentlythedominantonesinthisarea. Knowledge
to develop social work in this way is gained through qualitative research, which enables
palliativecareuserstotalkabouttheirsituation,totellushowtheyexperiencesituations,to
presenttheirownunderstandingoftheirsituationinspecificlifesituationsofdying. Whatwe
donotknowsufficientlyishowthesituationandthemeasurestakenagainsttheCOVID-19

TheimpactofpandemiccontainmentmeasuresCOVID-19... 45
pandemicaffectthisfield.
Qualitative research uncovers a wide variety of life situations, varying from person
to person and uses them to identify the diversity and uniqueness of people, individuals
and groups. The researchers enter the area of identifying the specific characteristics that
mark humanity and civilisation. They may identify real-life situations that are specific
for a community of people as they show how various communities act in relation to the
cultural,historical,geographicandothercharacteristics. Researchalwaysrevealsthespecific
characteristicsinordertodesignhelpthatiseffectiveinsocialwork,butonlyifitstemsfrom
the identification of users’ experiences, because the users know what works for them and
whatdoesnot.
TheexperienceoflivingwiththeCOVID-19virusforalmosttwoyearshasalsohada
profoundeffectonthefieldofresearchinsocialwork. Ithasaffectedthelifesituationsof
peoplewhoneedlong-termcare,becauseamongthemthereprevailolderpeople(Organisation
forEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment,2021). Eventhoughtheyhavebeenrecognised
as a particularly vulnerable group of population during the pandemic, such a mark does
not mean much to social work. In social work, we need to find out what is it that makes
olderpeopleparticularlyvulnerableduringthepandemic. Itisnotonlyaboutthevirusthat
threatensthem. Forsocialworkers,itisnotenoughtohavethestatisticsonhighermortality
ratesin2020andahighershareofdeathsinthe75+agegroupavailable(StatisticalOfficeof
theRepublicofSlovenia,2021). Thedailydataonthenumberofinfected,dead,hospitalised
andinintensivecaredonottellusmuch. Suchdatacanbeusedasastartingpointtobeable
toformulatearesearchproblemandreflectontherealproblemsthatthepandemicbringsto
livesofolderpeople. Butthiscanonlyberesearchedinthefield,alongwitholderpeople,
in their home environments, whether it be in their homes or in institutions. Research also
hastoincludetherepresentativesoftheirsocialnetworks,partners,relatives,acquaintances,
friends,neighboursandexpertswhoprovidelong-termcare. Butnotonlythem. First,the
olderpeopleandthenotherparticipantsintheprocessesofhelp.
The perspective of older people in the pandemic where the state is taking measures to
preventthespreadofcoronavirusdiseaseis,ironically,themostoverlooked. Insocialwork
we have a duty to draw attention to the situation of older people and that is why we need
concrete and realistic data from the field (Mali & Grebenc, 2021). The lack of power that
peoplecanfeelasuserswasalsofeltbyresearchersinsocialworkwhen,duringtheepidemic,
theyimposedbansonfieldresearchasameasuretopreventthespreadofthedisease. While
the researchers could have easily ensured the safety of contacts in the field in a number
of ways (e.g. by having an appropriate safety distance in the open, by testing before the
encounterandusingallprotectiveequipment,byusingseparateroomsoraglasspartition),in
theresearchwewerepushedintoasituationinwhichwewerepreventedfromhavingdirect
contactwitholderpeople. The ICTtoconduct interviewsat adistanceis virtuallyuseless
inthegroupoflong-termcareusers,becauseitdoesnotprovideprivacy(whenusingICT
olderpeopleusuallyneedtobeassistedbysomebodywhoknowshowtouseit). Itisequally
inadequateforanyconversationaboutpersonaldistressandproblems, becauseitdoesnot
providegenuinepersonalcontact. Thus,aresearcherorasocialworkercannotpossiblysee
thereallifecircumstancesoftheinterviewee,becausetheICTdoesnotprovideanin-depth
perspectiveonolderpeople’slivingenvironment. WithICTwearebereftofthepossibilityto
observe,butobservationisthecomponenttoresearchinsocialwork.

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3.2. Opennesstovariousdataonresearchphenomena
Inresearch,socialworkdepartsfromtheexistingtheories,conceptsandideas,theones
that are characteristic of social work, but also other that appear in various areas of social
sciences. Often, they are verified through research, they enable us to find out how they
manifest in concrete life situations, they are either confirmed through research or rejected.
Themostfrequentlyusedresearchmethodinlong-termcareisverifyingtheexistingindex
ofneedsforlong-termcare(Flakeretal.,2008;Mali,2013). However,thisisnottheonly
method. Even in cases where the index of needs is used as a starting point, it is used in a
wayastobeopentonewfindings,theonesthattheexistingtheoreticalassumptions(e.g.the
indexofneedsforlong-termcare)donotperceive. Mesec(1998)claimsthatinresearchin
socialworkwetendtopayattentiontoanyeventstakingplacewiththepeopleweresearch,
evenwhenwecannotlocatethemwiththeconceptsofoneoranothertheory. Inotherwords,
we could say that research in social work is spontaneous in much the same way as life is
spontaneous. Itistheconsistencyofresearchmethods,thejustificationofprocedures,the
carefulmonitoringanddocumentationofprocessandinformation,analyticalthinkingand
theorybuildingthatelevateresearchabovetheordinaryexperienceofeverydaylife. Such
openandflexibleresearchrelationshipisalsothefundamentalguidelineinsocialworkasit
istheonlyonethatprovidesdirectcontactwiththeworldofeverydaylifeofpeople(Mali&
Grebenc,2021).
Theopennesstoresearchnew,diverseresearchdataoryetundefinedresearchphenomena
propelsthedevelopmentofprofession,itisitspotentialandgivessocialworkafundamental
characteristicofadaptingtonewfindings,thefindingsofthethingsthattakeplaceinsociety,
thechangesincommunitiesandthewaysofpeople’slives. Suchapproachisnecessaryto
beabletopreservethewaytheprofessionofsocialworkislinkedtosciencethatprovides
new theoretical findings to be able to act professionally. The direct association of theory
andpracticeofsocialworkisofkeyrelevancetothedevelopmentofsocialworkprofession
andscienceanditisthisveryassociationthatisputundertestduringthepandemic. More
thanever,itisclearandunequivocalthatresearchisthekeylinkbetweentheprofessionand
scienceofsocialwork. Ifthereisnoresearchinthefieldoflong-termcare,thedevelopment
of concepts and methods of support in the field of social work with older people is not
successful.
3.3. Researchingvarioussocialunitiesineverydaylifecontext
Mesec(1998)highlightsthatqualitativeresearchinsocialworkisdirectedtowardsfour
areas: (i) researching the unity, (ii) the context, (iii) the past and the development of life
situations, and (iv) researching in everyday environment. These tasks are fairly complex
and social workers perform them in practice in a more or less analytical way. For a better
overviewanditsapplicationtothecurrentcircumstancesofresearchduringthepandemicwe
shallpresentthemfurtheron.
Researchingtheunitymeansthatwearestrivingtounderstandthelife-situationsofpeople
whoneedlong-termcare,integratedandholistic. Althoughwefocusonanindividual,weaim
tounderstandhowtheyfunctioninasmallercommunity,suchasfamily,inawidercommunity,
e.g. the local environment where they live, how they are affected by social structures, e.g.
the accepted social, health and other political guidelines in national programmes that deal
withtheareaoflong-termcare,sincethereisstillnosinglelegislationgoverningthisarea.
Forthesolepurposeofidentifyingthecharacteristicsofpeople’slives,distress,situations,
weidentifythesecommunityregistersseparately,butotherwiseweaimtoidentifythefull
contextofanindividual’slife-situationinthecommunity.

TheimpactofpandemiccontainmentmeasuresCOVID-19... 47
During the pandemic it is important to get to know the lives of the residents in older
people’shomesorindividualgroupsofresidents(peoplewithdementia,residentsinneedof
intensivehealthcareaswellasthosewhoarestillabletolivemoreorlessindependently),but
theirlivesaretobeunderstoodinrelationtothechangesthataredefinedbytheguidelinesfor
thecareprovidedinolderpeople’shomesthatwereadoptedatnationallevelbytheMinistry
ofHealthandtheMinistryofLabour,Family,SocialAffairsandEqualOpportunities. We
knowthattheinstructionsfrombothministriesweresuchthatinolderpeople’shomesthey
wereforcedtocreatewhite,greyandredzones(NationalInstituteofPublicHealth,2020).
TheresidentswhowerenotsuspectedofhavingSARS-CoV-2infectionwereplacedinwhite
units,theresidentswhoweresuspectedofhavingtheviruswereplacedingreyunitsandthe
residentswhowereconfirmedtohavethevirusbutdidnotrequirehospitaltreatmentwere
placedinredunits. Themovementofresidentswasverylimitedwithinandbetweenzones.
Wecanonlyimaginehowsuchlimitationsofmovement,fromonezonetoanother,andthe
diseaseaffectedresidents’lives.
Visitsfromrelatives,acquaintancesandfriendswerebanned,thecontactwithstaffwas
limited and there were few volunteers or students. The contacts the residents had with
each other were already limited, while the contacts with other important people in their
lives became even more restrained. In some places they were replaced by ICT, but not all
residents benefited from this technology. For people with dementia, calling a relative on
Skype was often more tiring than the fact that they were banned to have visits, because
they did not recognise their relatives on the computer or phone, did not understand where
thevoicewascomingfrom,whythepicturehadvoices. Ingeneral,nonuseoftheInternet
among people aged 65 and older was widespread before the COVID-19 pandemic, and
intergenerational solidarity in Internet use was primarily related to tasks such as buying
something online, searching for information, or sending emails, rather than strengthening
socialcontacts(Dolniˇ caretal.,2018).
We know very little about the distress experienced by the residents of older people’s
homesduringthatperiod. Wedonotknowtheextentoftheimpactofthesemeasuresontheir
experiences in the home, on relations between the residents and the relatives, on relations
betweentheresidentsandstaff. Wealsoknowverylittleabouttheimpactofthemeasures
ontheworkinglivesofthestaffwhowasalsoexperiencingdailydistress,becausetheydid
notknowhowtoprovidethebestqualitycare. Theresearchconductedduringthepandemic
couldanalyserelevantmoments,characteristics,changesintheinstitutionallifeofallthose
involvedinordertohaveatrulyintegratedandcomplexunderstandingoftheimpactofthe
pandemiconlifeandcareinolderpeople’shomes.
Understandingresearchintermsofaholisticapproachtothephenomenapointstowards
researchingthecontext—thenextrelevantcharacteristicofresearchinsocialwork. Social
workisinterestedinthecontextinwhichpeople’sdistressappears,becauseweareallpart
ofawiderenvironment, butatthesametimethisenvironmentaffectsourlives. Research-
ing life situations of the residents in older people’s homes that was described above, is
associated with the context of an institution, an older people’s home. We know that some
characteristics of older people’s homes are institutional, they bear the characteristics of
total institutions (Goffman, 1961; Mali, 2008a), such as: invasion of privacy, concern for
all aspects of an individual’s life, concern for a crowd of people in one place, disciplinary
procedures,etc. Itisimperativethatwetakethemintoaccount,thatweincludetheminour
designregardlessofthefocusofourresearch. Ifwehadhadtoexplorelifeinolderpeople’s
homesafterthezoneswereestablishedduringthepandemic,wewouldhavehadtotakeinto
account the well-known fact that, even before the pandemic, the control over the lives of

48 Mali
theresidentswasalreadycommonandmanifestedininappropriateinvasionoftheresidents’
privacy(Mali,2008a). Whilewedonotknowhowwelltheaspectofprivacywashandledby
staffduringthepandemic,theinstructionsontheestablishmentofzonesduringthepandemic
thatwereprovidedbytheNationalInstituteofPublicHealthdonotdiscussthisfactorinany
detail(NationalInstituteofPublicHealth,2020). Itmayonlybeconcludedthatthepractice
inthoseolderpeople’shome,whichevenbeforethepandemictendedtoorganisecarethat
was tailored to the residents’ needs, wishes and interests, was also more adapted to these
factors at a time of the implementation of the measures and residents’ voices were heard
while their opinion was taken into account to a greater extent than in those older people’s
homesthathadnotalreadydevelopedtheircareinthiswaybeforethepandemic.
Knowingthecontextrequirestheresearchersinsocialworktohavepriorknowledgethat
alsohelpstocreatetheconditionsforresearchandthusmakesthembecomeapartofthat
context. Asresearchersweshouldnotenterolderpeople’shomeswithpriorassumptionthat
allolderpeople’shomesaredominatedbythesortofcarethatviolatestheresidents’privacy
andthatthepandemichasonlyexacerbatedthispractice. Suchapproachwillnotmakeus
entertheinstitution. However,wemayexpressdoubt,scepticism,concernoverthisfactor
duringthepandemicandshowwithresearchthatthecontextofcareintermsofproviding
privacyduringthepandemichaschangedoratleastpointoutwhereitgotstuck.
It is essential that we know the past, the history and the development of the context of
ourresearch. Thisistheonlywaytogetcomprehensiveknowledgeontheresearchproblem.
Whileweresearchthelivesoftheresidentsinolderpeople’shomes,itisimportanttoknow
thehistoricalperspectiveonthedevelopmentofolderpeople’shomes(Mali,2008a)inorder
togettoknowwhensocialworkappearedthereandhowitestablisheditsrole. Thatmakesit
easiertounderstandtheroleofsocialworkersduringthepandemic,whytheyexperienced
distress when the zones were set in older people’s homes, why they experienced conflicts
with experts who coordinated the setting of the zones and similar. When researching the
experiencesoftheresidentsduringthepandemic,itisessentialtoknowthesituationsand
thereasonsthatbroughtthemtoanolderpeople’shome. Wearealwaysinterestedinapart
of history to understand the present in order to make suggestions for the future. Such an
orientationrequiresanintegratedunderstandingofpeople’slifesituations.
4. Conclusion
Researchineverydaysettingsisanecessityforsocialworkandwithoutitwearedeprived
oftheknowledgeweneedtoplanhelpaswellasoftheknowledgeweformthetheoretical
levelsocialworkconceptson. Researchinsocialworkhastotakeplaceinusers’everyday
life, since this is the only way to explore specific situations that people find themselves in
whentheyneedlong-termcare. Thatistheonlywaytobeabletogettoknowthecomplexity
oflifesituations,understandthespecificpositionofourusersandplantogetherwiththemthe
solutionstotheirdistress. Thisisthepartwherequalitativeresearchgetsascloseaspossible
tosocialwork. Thesamegoesforpractice,indirectrelationshipwithusers,whenasocial
workerexploresthecharacteristicsofusers’livesinthecontextofeverydaylife. Theyuse
thesameresearchprinciplesasqualitativeresearchmethodology—theuserisatthecentre
oftheresearch,notthesocialworker. Thesocialworkerseekstounderstandtheusers’life
context, their needs and difficulties in an integrated way and based on this understanding
seekssolutionstogetherwiththeuser.
Duringthepandemicweneedtostriveinsocialworktomakeresearchtakeplaceinthe
context where people live as this is the basic premise of our research. The ICT is not of

TheimpactofpandemiccontainmentmeasuresCOVID-19... 49
muchusehereasitdoesnotconveyinformationonthelivingenvironmentofpeople. Even
if we move the computer camera around to see the place where a user lives, we may only
perceiveapartofhisreallifesituation. Socialworkersneedacompleteimageofusers’life
situation, they have to experience, feel and perceive in what sort of settings the users live.
Aresidentwholivesintheredzoneofolderpeople’shomemayrespondtoourquestions
viatelephone,butthiswillonlyprovideuswithpartialanswers. Weshallnotbeabletosee
howtheiranswerscorrespondtothecontextoflivingintheredzone. Itisquitepossiblethat
theydonotprovidecriticalanswers,becausetheyareafraidofbeingsanctioned,itisquite
possiblethattheyaretoocritical,becausetheyareillwithCOVID-19anddonotfeelwellor
theyweremovedtoadifferentroomintheredzoneandthisdidnotchangetheirexperience
oflivinginanolderpeople’shomeduringthepandemic. Therealeverydaycontextoftheir
lifeinolderpeople’shomemayonlybeguessedifwetalktothemonthephone. Inadirect
conversation with a resident a researcher can adapt the course of the interview to the real
situation,thecurrentsetting,thequestionsmaybesetinaspontaneousway,whilethecontext
oftheresearchproblemprovidesvaluableadditionalinformationtolearnabouttheresident’s
real life situation. The good thing about ICT is that it saves time, the conversation can be
recorded,playedbacktotheresident,theconversationmayoftenberearrangedetc. However,
wecannotgetanyother, moreimportantandmorevaluableinformationtotrulygraspthe
resident’slife.
Thelimitationsofresearchintheareaofsocialworkwitholderpeoplethatwereimposed
bythenationalguidelinesinordertocontrolthespreadofthepandemichavehadirreversible
consequencesfortherecognitionoftheimpactofthepandemiconthelivesofolderpeople
inneedoflong-termcare. Fewerresearchopportunitiesduringthepandemichavehadafatal
impactontheprovisionofadvocacyforthosegroupsoflong-termcareuserswhoarelimited
in expressing their needs, interests and preferences. This has prevented social work from
beingabletoliveuptothebasicethicalvaluesofcaringforthemostvulnerable,frailand
needymembersofsociety.
Acknowledgment
This research was financially supported by the Slovenian Research Agency within the
researchprogramP5–0058andtheresearchprojectJ5–2567(Long-termcareofpeoplewith
dementiainsocialworktheoryandpractice).
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