Donelan Karen, Vetter Michael, Barreto Esteban, Bannon Sarah M, Antonsdottir Inga, Samus Quincy, Ritchie Christine S, Agronin Marc E, Forester Brent P, Rosenberg Paul B
Heller School (KD, MV), Brandeis University, Waltham, MA.
Heller School (KD, MV), Brandeis University, Waltham, MA.
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2025 Apr;33(4):416-425. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2024.10.007. Epub 2024 Oct 22.
The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the pandemic on the health, well-being, and access to services of paid staff and unpaid caregivers of persons living with dementia.
Questionnaires were developed to capture the experiences of paid staff and unpaid caregivers throughout the pandemic, leveraging a pre-existing clinical trial collaborative.
Community and long-term care locations in Miami, Florida, Boston, Massachusetts, and the greater Baltimore, Maryland, and D.C. areas.
Paid staff from Miami Jewish and Benchmark who worked with patients with dementia during the first two years of the pandemic. Unpaid caregivers who lived within the catchment area of the study sites and provided care for community-based persons with dementia.
Measures included the Coronavirus Impact Scale, the Herth Hope Index, NPI-Q, the Modified Caregiver Strain Index, PHQ-8, items about workplace changes, caregiving relationship, and changes to caregiver support.
Paid staff were statistically more likely to have been exposed to, tested for, hospitalized, or seriously ill with COVID-19 and indicated moderate to severe impacts to medical and mental health services compared to unpaid caregivers. Unpaid caregivers exhibited significantly higher rates of depressive symptom severity and overall lower scores on the Herth Hope Scale compared to paid staff.
Our findings suggest that the pandemic had significant impacts on the mental health and general well-being of unpaid caregivers. While notable that paid staff suffered from increased exposure and decreased access to services, policies supporting both workforces should respond to the unique outcomes that each faced, post-pandemic.
本研究的目的是评估疫情对痴呆症患者的带薪工作人员和无薪照护者的健康、福祉以及服务可及性的影响。
利用现有的临床试验合作，开发问卷以了解带薪工作人员和无薪照护者在整个疫情期间的经历。
佛罗里达州迈阿密、马萨诸塞州波士顿以及马里兰州巴尔的摩大区和华盛顿特区的社区及长期护理场所。
在疫情头两年与痴呆症患者合作的迈阿密犹太护理机构和基准护理机构的带薪工作人员。居住在研究地点服务范围内并为社区痴呆症患者提供照护的无薪照护者。
测量指标包括冠状病毒影响量表、赫思希望指数、神经精神症状问卷简表（NPI-Q）、改良照护者压力指数、患者健康问卷-8（PHQ-8）、关于工作场所变化、照护关系以及照护者支持变化的项目。
与无薪照护者相比，带薪工作人员在统计学上更有可能接触过新冠病毒、接受检测、住院或感染新冠重病，并表示医疗和心理健康服务受到中度至重度影响。与带薪工作人员相比，无薪照护者抑郁症状严重程度显著更高，且在赫思希望量表上的总体得分更低。
我们的研究结果表明，疫情对无薪照护者的心理健康和总体福祉产生了重大影响。虽然值得注意的是，带薪工作人员面临更高的接触风险和更低的服务可及性，但支持这两类工作人员的政策应应对疫情后各自面临的独特结果。
