The influence of the down- and upscaling of activities in long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 visitor ban on caregivers’ exhaustion and ability to provide care and support: A questionnaire study

•As part of the COVID-19 measures, many (group) activities in long-term care facilities were cancelled.•The downscaling of certain activities for residents had a negative impact on caregivers' exhaustion and ability to provide care and support.•An adequate balance of different types of meaningful activities, with varying supervision levels, is beneficial for residents and caregivers. In the Netherlands, a national visitor-ban was in place in LTCFs during the first outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020. Meaningful activities were cancelled or downscaled, while others were performed more often. It is known that a lack of activities has several negative effects on residents, while the impact on caregivers remains largely unexplored. Here we investigate the influence of the down- and upscaling of activities on caregivers’ physical and emotional exhaustion and their perceived ability to provide care and support. Downscaling of activities for residents, in particular watching television and musical activities, had a negative impact on caregivers’ emotional exhaustion. The downscaling of watching television increased caregivers ‘physical exhaustion. Furthermore, the downscaling of both activities had a negative impact on caregivers’ perceived ability to provide ADL care and emotional support. This study triggers the need for more knowledge about the function of meaningful activities for residents, from a LTCF caregivers’ perspective.