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Film short abstract

Loose Ends reveals a silent disaster in Dutch nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Care workers faced mass death, fear, and impossible ethical choices, while residents died isolated from loved ones. This film gives voice to experiences that were often left unseen.

Film synopsis

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a silent disaster occurred in Dutch nursing homes. Nursing home employees saw how elderly people died en masse and abruptly, often without being able to say goodbye to their loved ones. There were little to no tests or protective equipment available. Employees faced impossible choices. Because how do you take into account the one and a half meter distance measure, when you have to wash and dress the elderly? How do you provide good care and prevent the elderly from dying? These ethical dilemmas, uncertainty, and panic were investigated by Lianne (A.L.) Cremers and Cato Janssen of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam during a visual ethnographic study from October to December 2021. This research took place in collaboration with Dutch nursing homes and is part of the European-funded HERoS project. The aim of this project is to collect and share lessons learned and best practices from the COVID-19 crisis response in Europe.