Exploring the Impacts of COVID-19 Public Health Measures on Community-Dwelling People Living With Dementia and Their Family Caregivers: A Longitudinal, Qualitative Study.
Jennifer Baumbusch, Heather A Cooke, Kishore Seetharaman and 2 others
PMID 35674313WHAT IT FOUND
Caregivers of community-dwelling people living with dementia described public health measures as adding constant teaching, supply costs and safety monitoring, while day programs closed and home supports were reduced, leaving families isolated and exhausted.
Key findings
01Caregivers had to teach and remind their relatives with dementia to follow pandemic rules, which added stress to daily routines.
02Closure of adult day programs removed respite and routine, and some caregivers took on hands-on personal care they had not expected to provide.
03Families described the cumulative strain of changing measures and lost supports as affecting mental and physical well-being over time.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample was small and purposive: 12 families, and 10 of the 12 caregivers were women. The sample had limited racial and income diversity, and all caregivers spoke English at home. The people living with dementia were not directly interviewed or observed, so the findings are caregiver-reported. Diary completion varied despite reminders, compensation and reimbursement for care costs.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. Funding was provided through Dr. Baumbusch's Canadian Institutes of Health Research Chair in Sex and Gender Science, named Institute of Gender and Health.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these themes as evidence that any specific intervention, such as a day program, virtual visit or mindfulness course, was tested and effective. The study reported families' experiences of pandemic measures and service loss, not outcome effects.