Older people with dementia are particularly at risk of COVID-19; however, relatively little is known about the indirect impact of the pandemic on the lives of those living with, and/or caring for someone with, dementia. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of people with dementia and informal carers during the closure of available social and medical services in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with people with dementia (n = 5) and informal carers (n = 21) was performed between June and August 2020 after the first wave of COVID-19 in Poland. Three overarching themes were identified: (1) care re-organization; (2) psychological responses; (3) emerging needs. The factor underlying all these elements was reliance on other people. Social support and engagement are vital to the ongoing health and well-being of people living with dementia and their informal carers. Services need to be strengthened to provide ongoing provision to those living with dementia to reach pre-pandemic levels, if not better. Within the post-pandemic environment, people with dementia and their informal carers need reassurance that they can rely on external institutional and social support able to meet their needs.
Objectives: Considering the adverse outcomes of COVID-19, it is essential to provide adequate support and care for people with dementia and informal carers.Technology can reduce the distress associated with social distancing rules and the decreased access to in-person services. This study aimed to explore the use of technology and its perceived effects across different settings and countries.
Methods:The sample was composed of 127 informal carers and 15 people with dementia from the UK, Italy, Australia and Poland. Semi-structured interviews explored participants' experiences of using technology and their perceived effects.Transcripts were analysed by researchers in each country using an inductive approach.Results: Three overarching themes were developed: (1) Technology kept us alive during COVID-19; (2) Remote care was anything but easy; (3) Perceived technology limitations. Many similarities emerged between countries supporting the role of technology for being socially engaged, having a routine, and staying active. However, the benefits of technology for health and psychosocial care were more limited.Across countries, barriers to the access and use of technology included lack of digital literacy, dementia severity, and lack of appropriate digital environments.Help and supervision from carers were also necessary and sometimes perceived as an additional burden.
Conclusions:Technology can effectively reduce the shrinking world that may be amplified by the pandemic, thus preserving people with dementia's social skills and maintaining family connections. However, for more extensive and well-adapted use of technology in dementia care, actions should be taken to overcome the barriers to the access and use of technology by older and vulnerable people globally.
The paper assessed psychological response of LTCF personnel to the SARS-CoV-2 crisis. Results show that access to PPE, safety guidelines and psychological support at workplace may reduce psychological distress.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.