“Pandemic Fatigue! It’s Been Going On since March 2020”: A Photovoice Study of the Experiences of BIPOC Older Adults and Frontline Healthcare Workers during the Pandemic

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic intensified the stressful and already difficult circumstances of communities of color. Yet, there is no current photovoice research highlighting the lived experiences of these communities from two perspectives—the older adults (OAs) and the frontline healthcare workers (FLHWs). This qualitative study used photovoice to visually portray the struggles of Black, Indigenous, and persons of color (BIPOC) OAs (n = 7) and younger FLHWs (n = 5) who worked with older adults during the pandemic and how they coped and recovered from the challenges of the pandemic. The investigators conducted a three-day training of ten research assistants (RAs) who were paired with either an OA or an FLHW for the photovoice sessions conducted in four stages. Upon examination of the narratives, focus group transcriptions, and photo stories, it became clear that participants faced different challenges during the pandemic, such as the fear of COVID-19 exposure, struggles to adopt COVID-19 mitigation strategies, workplace challenges, and social isolation. Amid this crisis of suffering, isolation, and sadness, participants employed two major strategies to deal with the challenges of the pandemic: positive reappraisal and self-care practices. The findings have implications for clinical social workers, mental health counselors, faith communities, nurse managers and administrators, and policymakers.

College Students’ Reflections on Their Experience Facilitating a Photovoice Research Project with BIPOC Older Adults and Frontline Healthcare Workers

“…Students further learned from the stories of BIPOC frontline healthcare workers that they felt underappreciated and undervalued by their bosses as illustrated by the following comment from a frontline healthcare worker: “Most of us are overworked and sometimes we don’t get recognition from our managers or supervisors...” The student facilitators felt that BIPOC frontline healthcare workers were risking their lives to care for others yet were undervalued. This view confirms the work of the parent study that showed that BIPOC frontline healthcare workers reported feeling disrespected, unappreciated, and undervalued by their employers [ 9 ]. Interestingly, BIPOC older adults appreciated the opportunity to participate in the research to share their stories of struggles and how they found meaning.…”

“…They facilitated the photovoice research project in four stages, regularly meeting with their participants in small groups during the week to discuss what their photographs meant to them and how the photographs reflected their experiences of racism, isolation, and meaning. Details of the findings of the parent study can be found in this study [ 9 ]. Throughout the project, the undergraduate students engaged in an introspective process of reflecting on their learning.…”

“…The participant was shown their photographs on a laptop or tablet and asked to choose two photos of their challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and two photos of how they found meaning during those challenges. To help narrow down the most relevant photos, research assistants asked the participants questions such as “why did you take the photo?”, “how did you feel during the process?”, “what does the photo represent?” and “how does this answer the research question?” posed in the parent study [ 9 ]. Once two photos representing challenges and meaning were selected, the student facilitators were present to technically support participants while they wrote their narrative for each photo.…”

“…Research strategies such as photovoice that immerse students in the lived experiences of a local community and engage them in critical thinking are one of the ways to understand social issues faced by marginalized communities [ 8 ]. In the parent study, students facilitated a photovoice study that explored the socially and culturally constructed experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic among BIPOC older adults and frontline healthcare workers [ 9 ]. In the current work, we aimed to capture the various student experiences facilitating the photovoice research project with BIPOC older adults and frontline healthcare workers.…”