Experiences of Older Family Care Partners of Persons With Heart Failure 1 Year After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively affected the health and well-being of family care partners of older adults with heart failure (HF-FCPs). The purpose of the current study was to examine the caregiving experiences and coping strategies of older HF-FCPs during the ongoing pandemic. Qualitative telephone interviews were conducted with 13 HF-FCPs (aged ≥65 years) from January to April 2021. Three themes emerged: (1) Impact on Physical, Mental, and Social Health ; (2) Limitations of Using Health Care Services ; and (3) Coping Strategies . During the pandemic, HF-FCPs had increased caregiving burden due to managing their own age-related health and providing care to their family member with heart failure. After 1 year of COVID-19, they adjusted by increasing use of telecommunication platforms and following prevention and protection strategies. During the ongoing pandemic, emotional and social support, respite care, and digital health support for older HF-FCPs would be beneficial for improving their physical, mental, and social health. [ Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 48 (10), 47–52.]

Heart Failure Family Caregivers’ Perspectives of Physical Activity Engagement: A Qualitative Study

“…17 Interviews were part of a larger study investigating the experiences and perspectives of FCGs of older adults with HF. 18 The SCT 15 provided the conceptual framework for guiding the thematic analysis. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ) 32-item checklist 19 was used and is included in the Supplemental Files.…”

Well-Being, Physical Activity, and Social Support in Octogenarians with Heart Failure during COVID-19 Confinement: A Mixed-Methods Study

“…Previous quantitative studies have analyzed how confinement affected patients with HF, in terms of fear to visit the hospital [ 3 ], differences in physical activity [ 11 , 12 ], mental health [ 13 ], safety of telehealth programs [ 14 ], etc. Few qualitative studies have been performed in order to characterize the value of technology in supporting caregiving for individuals with HF [ 15 ], examine the caregiving experiences and coping strategies of older adults with HF during the ongoing pandemic [ 16 ], and explore patients’ and clinicians’ experiences of managing HF during COVID-19 pandemic [ 17 ]. However, to our knowledge, no mixed-methods studies have been conducted in this regard.…”

“…Even though previous studies have been performed in patients with HF, most of them take into account the middle-aged population or, when assessing the elderly, ages range from 60 to 80 years, thus information regarding adults older than 80 years old is scarce [ 11 , 13 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 19 ]. Therefore, further research is needed to focus on the clinical conditions of the octogenarian population and to analyze the differences between octogenarians and non-octogenarians.…”