Challenges and Strategies to Adapt the Provision of Support Services to Older Adults and Caregivers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Perspective of Community Organizations

Abstract

This study documented the provision of services and issues experienced by community organizations supporting older adults and caregivers in the province of Quebec during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as promising strategies to adapt the provision of services in this context. A cross-sectional electronic survey using open- and closed-ended questions was conducted in July 2020. Almost three-quarters of the 307 respondents (71.4%) reported having maintained services at least partially throughout the lockdown, and the majority (85.3%) adapted their services. Among key challenges, participants reported difficulties identifying and supporting older adults at greater risk of vulnerability (54.8%), managing health risks for service users (60.2%), and recruiting volunteers (59.5%). Promising strategies included strategies to reach out to older adults and understand their needs (e.g., systematic phone calls) in addition to direct interventions supporting them (e.g., activities promoting social ties); implementing prevention and protection measures; accessing and using technologies; human resources management (e.g., recruiting new volunteers); finding financial support for their organization; developing intersectoral partnerships (e.g., multisectoral crisis cell); and promoting a positive view of older adults. The integration of multiple perspectives from different stakeholders may help identify strategies potentially transferable to other crises in order to meet older adults’ needs.

COVID-19 experiences of social isolation and loneliness among older adults in Africa: a scoping review

“…In sum, the available social support during the pandemic was family, community, religious groups, and government support. These same support areas have been documented in studies conducted outside Africa ( 5 , 47 ). Regardless of the entrenched communalism and common-bond ideologies in Africa, non-African literature captured how support was made available to older adults during the pandemic.…”

Social Isolation of Older Adults, Family, and Formal Caregivers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Stories and Solutions Through Participatory Action Research

“…Technology-based interventions and programs using multiple types of interventions were most successful in alleviating social isolation and loneliness (Poscia et al, 2018). Far less research has examined interventions for social isolation among family caregivers and formal caregivers, but providers in Quebec made recommendations, including collaboration among service providers to identify those households at risk, enhancing volunteer supports for respite and social interaction (Poulin et al, 2021). Existing studies have explored Internet and technology-based tools such as virtual support groups and blog exercises for families caring for older adults, in particular, caregivers of older adults with dementia to regain a sense of social belonging (Newman, Wang, Wang, & Hanna, 2019;Poulin et al, 2021;Van Orden & Heffner, 2022).…”

“…Among health and social service sector providers for older adults, early in the pandemic, cross-sectional online survey results identified regional urban/rural differences, for example, a greater ability to maintain social support services in urban areas compared to rural areas (Poulin et al, 2021). However, essential services were given priority, interrupting social support services and putting those more vulnerable older adults with dementia and their caregivers in a more precarious position and challenges in identifying those most at risk (Poulin et al, 2021).…”

“…Promising practices to address social isolation before the pandemic were employed at individual, community, and societal levels; however, none considered the context of a pandemic in which older adults and caregivers are experiencing isolation (Courtin & Knapp, 2017;World Health Organization, 2021). Examining the lived experiences of social isolation among marginalized older adults and their caregivers such as those living in rural, underserviced areas where community and health services are strained, is critical for identifying effective practices, programs, and policies to mitigate the negative impacts of isolation during the pandemic and afterwards (Meisner et al, 2020;Parmar et al, 2021;Poulin et al, 2021;Rodrigues, Han, Su, Klainin-Yobas, & Wu, 2022;Rotenberg et al, 2021). This participatory action research (PAR) complements existing research as a timely approach for uncovering lived experiences of older adults and their family and formal caregivers during the pandemic and proposing contextual solutions to social isolation.…”

“…Peterborough County, which includes many rural municipalities and two First Nation reserves, recorded a population of 147,681 of which 25.2 per cent of the residents are 65 years or older (Statistics Canada, 2022). Unlike other pandemic social isolation studies such as reviews (Lebrasseur et al, 2021;Poulin et al, 2021;Rydenfält et al, 2020) and qualitative research (Rotenberg et al, 2021), this PAR offers a rigorous, virtual approach, which can be adapted by community coalitions and decision makers to mitigate the negative impacts of social isolation among older adults, family caregivers, and formal caregivers. Our study is particularly significant because it includes those living alone, with lower incomes, in rural areas with service and Internet challenges, and Indigenous peoples who have been historically marginalized.…”