The protective impact of telecare on persons with dementia and their caregivers during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

Background Social distancing under the COVID‐19 pandemic has restricted access to community services for older adults with neurocognitive disorder (NCD) and their caregivers. Telehealth is a viable alternative to face‐to‐face service delivery. Telephone calls alone, however, may be insufficient. Here, we evaluated whether supplementary telehealth via video‐conferencing platforms could bring additional benefits to care‐recipient with NCD and their spousal caregivers at home. Method Sixty older adults NCD‐and‐caregiver dyads were recruited through an activity centre. The impact of additional services delivered to both care‐recipient and caregiver through video conference (n=30) was compared with telehealth targeted at caregivers by telephone only (n=30), over 4 weeks in a pretest‐posttest design. Interviews and questionnaires were conducted at baseline and study’s end. Result Supplementary telemedicine had averted the deterioration in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment evident in the telephone‐only group (ηp2=0.50). It also reversed the falling trend in quality of life observed in the telephone only group (QoL‐AD, ηp2=0.23). Varying degrees of improvements in physical and mental health (Short‐Form 36 v2), perceived burden (Zarit Burden Interview Scale) and self‐efficacy (Revised Caregiving Self‐Efficacy Scale) were observed among caregivers in the video‐conferencing group, which were absent in the telephone‐only group (ηp2=0.23–0.51). Conclusion Telehealth by video conference was associated with improved resilience and wellbeing to both people with NCD and their caregivers at home. The benefits were visible already after 4 weeks and unmatched by telephone alone. Video conference as the modus operandi of telehealth beyond the context of pandemic‐related social distancing should be considered.