CAREGIVER BURDEN AND ADAPTATION OF RELATIVES WITH DEMENTIA DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

The incidences of dementia are expected to double every 20 years due to an increasingly elderly population. Globally, 50 million people are living with dementia nowadays. The effects of dementia on patients and their families are profound. Hence, caring for a relative with dementia can be quite taxing on caregivers. While dementia caregiver burdens before the COVID-19 pandemic are well-documented, there is a gap in the literature regarding this phenomenon during the pandemic. Thus, it is urgent to fill that gap and investigate the nature and origin of caregiver load during this unique period. Using the Roy Adaptation model (RAM) framework, this convergent, mixed-methods study aims to explore the burden level among informal caregivers of relatives with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic and discover their adaptation methods. A total of 104 participants were recruited using convenience sampling. The study reported some critical stimuli that significantly appeared to affect the caregivers’ burden and adaptation, which were gender, relationship to the care receiver, and race. Furthermore, the findings of this study suggested that the caregivers of dementia relatives reported higher burden scores during the COVID-19 pandemic than before. The seven themes emerged as daily activities and recreations of caregivers and their care recipients during the pandemic (food and diet, outdoor exercises, indoor activities, sleep and rest, communication, and prevention), and four themes of positive experience during the COVID-19 pandemic (spending more time together, take active care of relatives, strength of family relationship, gratitude and appreciation). The knowledge gained from this study has implications for nursing practice, education, and policy- making. In addition, it will help advise the best care for this vulnerable population to adapt to their caregiving role at the critical time of similar disease outbreak circumstances.