See me, hear me, feel me

When the first wave of the Corona pandemic hit The Netherlands in March 2020 all Nursing homes went in lockdown, including “Het Hendrickszhuys” in Amsterdam. Eagerly anticipated visits by family and friends were banned. Due to her fragile health the manager was locked out and had to work from home. The acute need for a safe means of communication with the outside world resulted in building a “Skype cart”. With this residents and staff were able to safely chat via video calling. Realizing these intimate conversations could give a unique insight into a nursing home during the severe first Corona wave, director Anne-Marieke Graafmans asked and received permission from all involved to capture these conversations.