Post-Pandemic Needs of Unpaid Family and Friend Caregivers to Effectively Continue Caregiving Duties in one Northern Ontario Health Authority
The Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the support networks for older adults and caregivers as health and social care systems were forced to dramatically change the ways patients and clients interacted with providers, services, and programs. In Northern Ontario, caregivers are older, cari...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Beryl Institute
2024-11-01
|
| Series: | Patient Experience Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://pxjournal.org/journal/vol11/iss3/14 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1841554106763706368 |
|---|---|
| author | Jodi Webber Erin Mulroney Mark Tatasciore Brianna Smith Patti-Jo Duggan Louis Ferron Hannah Albani Bianca Feitelberg Laura Tenhagen Sophia Myles |
| author_facet | Jodi Webber Erin Mulroney Mark Tatasciore Brianna Smith Patti-Jo Duggan Louis Ferron Hannah Albani Bianca Feitelberg Laura Tenhagen Sophia Myles |
| author_sort | Jodi Webber |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the support networks for older adults and caregivers as health and social care systems were forced to dramatically change the ways patients and clients interacted with providers, services, and programs. In Northern Ontario, caregivers are older, caring in more intense situations, more likely to be caring for multiple care recipients simultaneously and less likely to be in contact with health professionals. This research sought to explore the post-pandemic needs of caregivers in a Northern Ontario health catchment to better understand the needed supports. Using a collaborative and co-design approach with caregiver advisors within a qualitative description design, seven focus groups were conducted with 36 participants in total in February 2023. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to generate five themes from the transcripts: caregivers as the invisible but vital backbone of health and social care; amplified distress: navigating overwhelming demands; family fault lines exposed; contextualized care: the need for personalized supports; and empowering caregivers through training and supports. Our findings suggest that the pandemic significantly impacted the already vulnerable support networks for older adults and caregivers, as health and social care systems had to adapt to new restrictions and limitations. Caregivers were forced to take on additional responsibilities and cope with social isolation, leading to detrimental effects on their mental health and overall well-being. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7add582ab434495f956b4292feb8d11e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2372-0247 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | The Beryl Institute |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Patient Experience Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-7add582ab434495f956b4292feb8d11e2025-01-08T20:21:43ZengThe Beryl InstitutePatient Experience Journal2372-02472024-11-0111310.35680/2372-0247.1918Post-Pandemic Needs of Unpaid Family and Friend Caregivers to Effectively Continue Caregiving Duties in one Northern Ontario Health AuthorityJodi WebberErin MulroneyMark TatascioreBrianna SmithPatti-Jo DugganLouis FerronHannah AlbaniBianca FeitelbergLaura TenhagenSophia MylesThe Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the support networks for older adults and caregivers as health and social care systems were forced to dramatically change the ways patients and clients interacted with providers, services, and programs. In Northern Ontario, caregivers are older, caring in more intense situations, more likely to be caring for multiple care recipients simultaneously and less likely to be in contact with health professionals. This research sought to explore the post-pandemic needs of caregivers in a Northern Ontario health catchment to better understand the needed supports. Using a collaborative and co-design approach with caregiver advisors within a qualitative description design, seven focus groups were conducted with 36 participants in total in February 2023. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to generate five themes from the transcripts: caregivers as the invisible but vital backbone of health and social care; amplified distress: navigating overwhelming demands; family fault lines exposed; contextualized care: the need for personalized supports; and empowering caregivers through training and supports. Our findings suggest that the pandemic significantly impacted the already vulnerable support networks for older adults and caregivers, as health and social care systems had to adapt to new restrictions and limitations. Caregivers were forced to take on additional responsibilities and cope with social isolation, leading to detrimental effects on their mental health and overall well-being.https://pxjournal.org/journal/vol11/iss3/14unpaid caregiverscaregiver experiencepatient-centred careruralremotecanadaolder adults |
| spellingShingle | Jodi Webber Erin Mulroney Mark Tatasciore Brianna Smith Patti-Jo Duggan Louis Ferron Hannah Albani Bianca Feitelberg Laura Tenhagen Sophia Myles Post-Pandemic Needs of Unpaid Family and Friend Caregivers to Effectively Continue Caregiving Duties in one Northern Ontario Health Authority Patient Experience Journal unpaid caregivers caregiver experience patient-centred care rural remote canada older adults |
| title | Post-Pandemic Needs of Unpaid Family and Friend Caregivers to Effectively Continue Caregiving Duties in one Northern Ontario Health Authority |
| title_full | Post-Pandemic Needs of Unpaid Family and Friend Caregivers to Effectively Continue Caregiving Duties in one Northern Ontario Health Authority |
| title_fullStr | Post-Pandemic Needs of Unpaid Family and Friend Caregivers to Effectively Continue Caregiving Duties in one Northern Ontario Health Authority |
| title_full_unstemmed | Post-Pandemic Needs of Unpaid Family and Friend Caregivers to Effectively Continue Caregiving Duties in one Northern Ontario Health Authority |
| title_short | Post-Pandemic Needs of Unpaid Family and Friend Caregivers to Effectively Continue Caregiving Duties in one Northern Ontario Health Authority |
| title_sort | post pandemic needs of unpaid family and friend caregivers to effectively continue caregiving duties in one northern ontario health authority |
| topic | unpaid caregivers caregiver experience patient-centred care rural remote canada older adults |
| url | https://pxjournal.org/journal/vol11/iss3/14 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jodiwebber postpandemicneedsofunpaidfamilyandfriendcaregiverstoeffectivelycontinuecaregivingdutiesinonenorthernontariohealthauthority AT erinmulroney postpandemicneedsofunpaidfamilyandfriendcaregiverstoeffectivelycontinuecaregivingdutiesinonenorthernontariohealthauthority AT marktatasciore postpandemicneedsofunpaidfamilyandfriendcaregiverstoeffectivelycontinuecaregivingdutiesinonenorthernontariohealthauthority AT briannasmith postpandemicneedsofunpaidfamilyandfriendcaregiverstoeffectivelycontinuecaregivingdutiesinonenorthernontariohealthauthority AT pattijoduggan postpandemicneedsofunpaidfamilyandfriendcaregiverstoeffectivelycontinuecaregivingdutiesinonenorthernontariohealthauthority AT louisferron postpandemicneedsofunpaidfamilyandfriendcaregiverstoeffectivelycontinuecaregivingdutiesinonenorthernontariohealthauthority AT hannahalbani postpandemicneedsofunpaidfamilyandfriendcaregiverstoeffectivelycontinuecaregivingdutiesinonenorthernontariohealthauthority AT biancafeitelberg postpandemicneedsofunpaidfamilyandfriendcaregiverstoeffectivelycontinuecaregivingdutiesinonenorthernontariohealthauthority AT lauratenhagen postpandemicneedsofunpaidfamilyandfriendcaregiverstoeffectivelycontinuecaregivingdutiesinonenorthernontariohealthauthority AT sophiamyles postpandemicneedsofunpaidfamilyandfriendcaregiverstoeffectivelycontinuecaregivingdutiesinonenorthernontariohealthauthority |