"What Keeps Me Awake at Night": Assisted Living Administrator Responses to COVID-19

Assisted living (AL) constitutes an important sector of residential long-term care, yet there has been limited research about the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in this setting. This qualitative study sought to understand the impact of the early stages of the pandemic (February-August 2020) from AL administrators' perspectives.

Semistructured phone interviews were conducted with 40 AL administrators in Oregon. A stratified sampling method emphasizing rurality, profit status, Medicaid acceptance, and memory care designation was used to maximize variation in perspectives. We asked 8 questions aimed at understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their roles and AL residents and their families, as well as AL operations, such as staffing and resource procurement. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed using an iterative thematic analysis.

We identified 3 themes that characterize AL administrators' response to COVID-19: emotion and burnout management, information management, and crisis management. Based on their experiences, administrators made suggestions for managing future crises.

Our findings demonstrate the slow-burning but devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in AL communities similar to recent findings in nursing homes. Coupled with the limited resources, perceived external pressures, and the ongoing pandemic, many administrators were managing but not thriving in these domains. AL as a care setting, and the role of administrators, requires more scholarly and policy attention, especially regarding emergency preparedness and response.