scholarly journals The Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Caregivers' Care Work, Anxiety, and Loneliness

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 553-553
Author(s):  
Sharon Anderson ◽  
Jasneet Parmar
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Systems Of Care ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Care Work ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
More Care ◽  
Detrimental Impact ◽  
Congregate Care

Abstract Our study examined the effects of COVID-19 pandemic and public health measures on family caregivers (FCGs) of frail older adults; specifically, their care work, anxiety, and loneliness all of which are associated with decreased wellbeing. Approximately 604 FCGs completed the survey and findings evidenced COVID-19 creating two solitudes. First, 73% of FCGs for individuals living with them were providing significantly more care during COVID-19. Second, those caring for residents in congregate settings were unable to care. Both situations, community-dwelling and congregate care, increased FCG distress and decreased wellbeing. Anxiety significantly increased from 36% pre COVID-19 to 54% during COVID-19. Loneliness increased from 46% to 85%. FCGs report their mental (58%) and physical (48%) health deteriorated. The detrimental impact of the pandemic and public health measures on FCGs caring at home and in congregate care, and their related needs, need immediate attention from both the health and social systems of care.

scholarly journals The Challenges of Being a Family Caregiver During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 552-552
Author(s):  
Gwen McGhan ◽  
Deirdre McCaughey
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Family Member ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Chronic Health Conditions ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Measures

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all of our lives, but the population most at risk are older adults. Canadians over the age of 60 account for 36% of all COVID-19 cases but 95% of the deaths, and over two-thirds of ICU admissions. Older adults with chronic health conditions are especially at risk. Prior to COVID-19, family caregivers (FCGs) for older adults were managing their caregiving duties at the limits of their emotional, physical and financial capacity. As such, FCGs need special consideration during these times of uncertainty to support them in their role and enable the continuation of care for their older adult family members. This symposium will report on independently conducted studies from across Canada that have examined how the pandemic and associated public health measures have influenced resource utilization by FCGs and the older adults for whom they provide care. McAiney et al’s study examines the deleterious effect of reduced services on community dwelling FCGs and the wellbeing of their family member with dementia. Parmar & Anderson examined the effect of pandemic restrictions on FCGs of frail older adults and found they were experiencing increased distress and decreased wellbeing. Flemons et al report on the experiences of FCGs managing caregiving without critical services and the effect of restrictive visiting policies and the well-being of the caregiving dyad (FCGs and family member with dementia). Finally, McGhan et al will share how FCGs evaluated the efficacy of public health measures and the public health messaging about the pandemic.

scholarly journals Mutable Mobiles: Negotiating Tensions in Everyday Information Work in Paid and Unpaid Dementia Care

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole K Dalmer
Keyword(s):  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Institutional Ethnography ◽  
Dementia Care ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Care Work ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Information Work ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

This paper details a contemporary, Canadian-centric study that focused on the information work that permeates the care work of families who are caring for a community-dwelling older adult who is living with dementia. Guided by Dorothy Smith’s institutional ethnography method of inquiry, thirteen family caregivers of community-dwelling older adults living with dementia were interviewed about their everyday information work. To more fully understand the different influences on family caregivers’ experiences of their information work, a second set of interviews was conducted with five paid dementia care staff to understand how, when, and why they provide families with information. This paper’s findings make visible the array of carerelated information work that happens in and around the home and calls into question the static boundaries that paid care providers place around information.

scholarly journals A Tale of Two Solitudes: Loneliness and Anxiety of Family Caregivers Caring in Community Homes and Congregate Care

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 10010
Author(s):  
Sharon Anderson ◽  
Jasneet Parmar ◽  
Bonnie Dobbs ◽  
Peter George J. Tian
Keyword(s):  
Family Caregivers ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Community Services ◽  
Anxiety Scale ◽  
Care Work ◽  
Loneliness Scale ◽  
Qualitative Responses ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Congregate Care

We surveyed 604 family caregivers residing in the province of Alberta to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anxiety, loneliness, and care work. We assessed anxiety with the Six-Item State Anxiety Scale and loneliness with the DeJong-Gierveld Loneliness Scale. The COVID-19 pandemic created two contexts giving rise to feelings of solitude for family caregivers. Family caregivers of Albertans living in private community homes were overwhelmed with caregiving needs while those caring for Albertans living in congregate settings were restricted from caregiving. The results indicated that before the COVID-19 pandemic, 31.7% of family caregivers were anxious and 53.5% were lonely. The proportions of those who were anxious rose to 78.8% and lonely to 85.9% during the pandemic. The qualitative responses of family caregivers connected being overwhelmed with care work either in community homes or as the designated essential caregiver in congregate living settings, as well as being unable to care in congregate care settings, with anxiety and loneliness. The caregivers reporting improvements in their health and relationships with care-receivers credited spending time with the receiver doing pleasant activities together, rather than purely performing onerous care tasks. Policymakers need to consider organizing health and community services to ensure family caregivers are not overwhelmed with care tasks or excluded from caring in congregate care.

scholarly journals Intergenerational family leisure in the COVID-19 pandemic: Some potentials, pitfalls, and paradoxes

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 793-793
Author(s):  
Tia Rogers-Jarrell ◽  
Deanna Vervaecke ◽  
Brad Meisner
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Wellness Promotion ◽  
Multiple Generations ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Family Leisure ◽  
Positive Experiences

Abstract COVID-19 has significantly changed the way we engage in leisure. The influence of public health measures and messaging on leisure put older and younger people alike at increased risk of stress, anxiety, loneliness, and isolation. Despite these similar experiences, ageism and tensions between generations intensified during the pandemic. Thus, it is imperative to encourage strategies that foster connections and solidarity between generations, such as participating in intergenerational family leisure. Intergenerational family leisure can both attenuate negative outcomes heightened or created by the pandemic (i.e., risk reduction) and increase positive experiences (i.e., wellness promotion). However, it is important to recognize that intergenerational family leisure may not be available, or ideal, for everyone, especially during the pandemic. There are longstanding and pandemic-specific pitfalls to engaging in intergenerational family leisure that need to be considered. Further, the conditions and handling of the COVID-19 pandemic have complicated family leisure in paradoxical ways. Many contradictions emerge as we navigate social systems and personal experiences when engaging in intergenerational family leisure during the pandemic. This paper critically presents some of the potentials, pitfalls, and paradoxes associated with connecting multiple generations in and through family leisure during the pandemic.

scholarly journals Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Family Caregivers of Persons Living With Dementia in the Community

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 552-553
Author(s):  
Emma Conway ◽  
Melissa Koch ◽  
Laura Middleton ◽  
Heather Keller ◽  
Sherry Dupuis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Support Needs ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
The Impact

Abstract COVID-19 public health measures have significantly impacted persons living with dementia (PLWD) and family caregivers (FCGs). Given the restrictions on in-person services, many PLWD were not able to access their usual supports and activities, resulting in FCGs stepping in to support exercise, leisure, socialization, spirituality, and activities of daily living. At the same time, FCGs’ own support networks were significantly reduced or no longer available. We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 20 FCGs of PLWD in the community to explore the impact of COVID-19 on their well-being. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Caregiving during COVID-19 was described as ‘draining’ and ‘stressful’, with the support needs of PLWD increasing at a time when fewer supports were available. Reaching out to others, using technology, and setting boundaries were strategies FCGs used to cope. Despite the considerable impacts of COVID-19, FCGs of PLWD demonstrated their resilience in supporting themselves and their PLWD.

scholarly journals Public Health Messaging and Measures During COVID-19: The Experiences of Family Caregivers

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 552-552
Author(s):  
Deirdre McCaughey ◽  
Kristin Flemons ◽  
Whitney Hindmarch ◽  
Gwen McGhan
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Care Provision ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Health Messaging

Abstract To mitigate the effects of COVID-19, Health Ministries across Canada have enacted numerous public health measures. Our mixed methods study examined the effect of COVID-19 related public health messaging and measures for family caregivers (FCGs) of people living with dementia (PLWD). Of the 230 FCGs completing the survey, most frequently used information sources were television, family/friends, and websites. FCGs over 60 more often used television, newspaper and radio versus websites and social media. FCGs rated public health messaging as good-excellent (64%) especially messaging around the disease spread, symptoms, and finding information. 46% believe the restrictions in long-term care facilities went beyond necessary with 97% reporting restrictions have negatively impacted them. 84% were willing to undertake personal protective equipment and infection control training to ensure continued access to PLWD. Focus groups highlighted concerns about continued access to PLWD, quality of care provision, and increased social isolation’s impact on dementia progression.

Pandemic Disease, Public Health, and Ethics

2019 ◽  
pp. 796-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxwell Smith ◽  
Ross Upshur
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Pandemic Preparedness ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Ethical Frameworks ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Face ◽  
Conducting Research

Infectious disease pandemics raise significant and novel ethical challenges to the organization and practice of public health. This chapter provides an overview of the salient ethical issues involved in preparing for and responding to pandemic disease, including those arising from deploying restrictive public health measures to contain and curb the spread of disease (e.g., isolation and quarantine), setting priorities for the allocation of scarce resources, health care workers’ duty to care in the face of heightened risk of infection, conducting research during pandemics, and the global governance of preventing and responding to pandemic disease. It also outlines ethical guidance from prominent ethical frameworks that have been developed to address these ethical issues and concludes by discussing some pressing challenges that must be addressed if ethical reflection is to make a meaningful difference in pandemic preparedness and response.

Communicable and Other Infectious Diseases

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Frischhut
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
European Union ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Eu Law ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Ethical Perspective ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Environment Agency ◽  
And Control

This chapter discusses the most important features of EU law on infectious diseases. Communicable diseases not only cross borders, they also often require measures that cross different areas of policy because of different vectors for disease transmission. The relevant EU law cannot be attributed to one sectoral policy only, and thus various EU agencies participate in protecting public health. The key agency is the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Other important agencies include the European Environment Agency; European Food Safety Authority; and the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency. However, while integration at the EU level has facilitated protection of the public's health, it also has created potential conflicts among the different objectives of the European Union. The internal market promotes the free movement of products, but public health measures can require restrictions of trade. Other conflicts can arise if protective public health measures conflict with individual human rights. The chapter then considers risk assessment and the different tools of risk management used in dealing with the challenges of infectious diseases. It also turns to the external and ethical perspective and the role the European Union takes in global health.

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