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Caregiving During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Factors Associated With Feelings of Caregiver Preparedness.

ABSTRACT: Examination of caregiver preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic can inform efforts to support caregivers in future times of global crisis. Informal caregivers of adults with dementia or severe disabilities (n = 72, M_age = 62.82 years, 90.28% female) were recruited through Adult Day Centers across the United States. Caregivers responding to an online survey regarding their experiences and preparedness reported an increase in burden, stress, and time spent caregiving since the onset of the pandemic. Caregivers reported feeling prepared for typical caregiving responsibilities but felt less prepared for someone else to assume the role of primary caregiver. Multiple regression modeling indicated that resilience accounted for significant variance in primary caregiver preparedness, over and above burden, but only caregiver age accounted for significant variability in a component representing feeling prepared to delegate caregiving to another person. These findings have implications for research and applied efforts to promote caregiver well-being and preparedness.

SUBMITTER: Turner RL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10333559 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Caregiving During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Factors Associated With Feelings of Caregiver Preparedness.

Turner Rachael L RL Reese-Melancon Celinda C Harrington Erin E EE Andreo Micaela M

Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society 20230703 10

Examination of caregiver preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic can inform efforts to support caregivers in future times of global crisis. Informal caregivers of adults with dementia or severe disabilities (n = 72, Mage = 62.82 years, 90.28% female) were recruited through Adult Day Centers across the United States. Caregivers responding to an online survey regarding their experiences and preparedness reported an increase in burden, stress, and time spent caregivin ...[more]

PMID: 37395127

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Project description:BackgroundA large portion of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the United States have occurred in nursing homes; however, current literature including the frontline perspective of staff working in nursing homes is limited. The objective of this qualitative assessment was to better understand what individual and facility level factors may have contributed to the impact of COVID-19 on Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and Environmental Services (EVS) staff working in nursing homes.MethodsBased on a simple random sample from the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), 7,520 facilities were emailed invitations requesting one CNA and/or one EVS staff member for participation in a voluntary focus group over Zoom. Facility characteristics were obtained via NHSN and publicly available sources; participant demographics were collected via SurveyMonkey during registration and polling during focus groups. Qualitative information was coded using NVIVO and Excel.ResultsThroughout April 2021, 23 focus groups including 110 participants from 84 facilities were conducted homogenous by participant role. Staffing problems were a recurring theme reported. Participants often cited the toll the pandemic took on their emotional well-being, describing increased stress, responsibilities, and time needed to complete their jobs. The lack of consistent and systematic guidance resulting in frequently changing infection prevention protocols was also reported across focus groups.ConclusionsAddressing concerns of low wages and lack of financial incentives may have the potential to attract and retain employees to help alleviate nursing home staff shortages. Additionally, access to mental health resources could help nursing home staff cope with the emotional burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. These frontline staff members provided invaluable insight and should be included in improvement efforts to support nursing homes recovering from the impact of COVID-19 as well as future pandemic planning.

Project description:IntroductionAs chest imaging is a tool for detecting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), diagnostic radiographers are a key component of the frontline workforce. Due to its unforeseen nature, COVID-19 has challenged radiographers' preparedness in combating its effects. Despite its importance, literature specifically investigating radiographers' readiness is limited. However, the documented experiences are prognostic of pandemic preparedness. Hence, this study aimed to map this literature by addressing the question: 'what does the existing literature reveal about the pandemic preparedness of diagnostic radiographers during COVID-19?'.MethodsUsing Arksey and O'Malley's framework, this scoping review searched for empirical studies in MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and CINAHL. Consequently, 970 studies were yielded and underwent processes of deduplication, title and abstract screening, full-text screening, and backward citation searching. Forty-four articles were deemed eligible for data extraction and analysis.ResultsFour themes that reflected pandemic preparedness were extrapolated: infection control and prevention, knowledge and education, clinical workflow, and mental health. Notably, the findings highlighted pronounced trends in adaptation of infection protocols, adequate infection knowledge, and pandemic-related fears. However, inconsistencies in the provision of personal protective equipment, training, and psychological support were revealed.ConclusionLiterature suggests that radiographers are equipped with infection knowledge, but the changing work arrangements and varied availability of training and protective equipment weakens their preparedness. The disparate access to resources facilitated uncertainty, affecting radiographers' mental health.Implications for practiceBy reiterating the current strengths and weaknesses in pandemic preparedness, the findings can guide clinical practice and future research to correct inadequacies in infrastructure, education, and mental health support for radiographers in the current and future disease outbreaks.

Project description:BackgroundTo limit transmission of COVID-19, state governments issued shelter-in-place orders. These orders coincided with a decrease in daily step count and an increase in overeating. We evaluated factors associated with weight gain of ≥ 15 pounds during the pandemic within an integrated health care system.MethodsWe included adults ages 18 and above with at least one weight measurement before the pandemic (March 19, 2019-March 19, 2020) and another measurement after COVID-19 vaccines became available, more than 9 months into the pandemic (December 14, 2020-December 14, 2021). Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with weight gain of 15 pounds or more.ResultsOf 524,451 adults included in the study, median age was 61 years, 43.2% were men, 36.2% self identified as White, 8.6% Black, 35.7% Hispanic, and 16.2% Asian. During the pandemic, 38,213 (7.3%) adults gained ≥ 15 pounds. A higher proportion of young adults gained weight (16.2% age 18-39, 7.6% age 40-64, 4.7% age 65-79%, and 3.1% age ≥ 80). No significant difference was observed between men and women (7.2% men and 7.4% women). Weight gain was more prevalent among adults from low-income neighborhoods (8.9% low-income neighborhoods, 8.0% intermediate-income neighborhoods, and 6.5% high-income neighborhoods). Multivariable logistic regression demonstrated that compared to adults ages 65-79 years, young adults ages 18-39 years had the highest risk of gaining ≥ 15 pounds (adjusted OR 5.19, 95% CI 5.01-5.38). Black race was associated with weight gain in an unadjusted analysis (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.21-1.30). However, this association was significantly attenuated after adjusting for other risk factors including neighborhood income levels (adjusted OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02-1.10). Having a diagnosis of depression pre-pandemic was also associated with weight gain during the pandemic (adjusted OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.50-1.58).ConclusionIn this racially and ethnically diverse population in southern California, significant weight gain of 15 pounds or more was observed in 7.3% of the adult population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Young adults, individuals who resided in low-income neighborhoods, and patients with depression were disproportionally affected.

Dataset Information

Caregiving During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Factors Associated With Feelings of Caregiver Preparedness.

Publications

Caregiving During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Factors Associated With Feelings of Caregiver Preparedness.

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