Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Home Care Services Among Community-Dwelling Adults With Dementia.
Aaron Jones, Laura C Maclagan, Connie Schumacher and 5 others
PMID 34571041WHAT IT FOUND
Home care therapy visits for people with dementia in Ontario fell to half early in the pandemic; nursing visits stayed near 2019 levels, and personal care fell 16%.
By late September, rates recovered or exceeded 2019 levels.
Key findings
01Therapy visits fell to half the 2019 rate in early pandemic.
02Nursing visits were similar to 2019 at the lowest point and 14% higher by the end of September 2020.
03Personal care visits fell 16% at the lowest point but recovered to the 2019 level by the end of September 2020.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study only counts publicly funded home care visits and cannot see privately paid services. It does not say why visits were canceled or delayed. It has no comparison group of older adults without dementia. Therapies are reported as one group, so changes cannot be attributed to PT, OT, SLP, nutritional therapy or social work separately. The eligible population varied week to week, so this is not a fixed cohort followed over time.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the September recovery in visit rates as proof that care needs were met. The study counts publicly funded visits only, does not report why services were canceled, and has no comparison group without dementia.