Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Mar;36(3):393-402.
doi: 10.1002/gps.5434. Epub 2020 Sep 25.

A UK survey of COVID-19 related social support closures and their effects on older people, people with dementia, and carers

Clarissa Giebel  1   2 , Kathryn Lord  3 , Claudia Cooper  4   5 , Justine Shenton  6 , Jacqueline Cannon  7 , Daniel Pulford  8 , Lisa Shaw  9 , Anna Gaughan  10 , Hilary Tetlow  11 , Sarah Butchard  1   12 , Stan Limbert  2 , Steve Callaghan  13 , Rosie Whittington  14 , Carol Rogers  15 , Aravind Komuravelli  16 , Manoj Rajagopal  8 , Ruth Eley  17 , Caroline Watkins  2   18 , Murna Downs  3 , Siobhan Reilly  2   19 , Kym Ward  20 , Rhiannon Corcoran  1   2 , Kate Bennett  21 , Mark Gabbay  1   2
Affiliations

A UK survey of COVID-19 related social support closures and their effects on older people, people with dementia, and carers

Clarissa Giebel et al. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this national survey was to explore the impact of COVID-19 public health measures on access to social support services and the effects of closures of services on the mental well-being of older people and those affected by dementia.

Methods: A UK-wide online and telephone survey was conducted with older adults, people with dementia, and carers between April and May 2020. The survey captured demographic and postcode data, social support service usage before and after COVID-19 public health measures, current quality of life, depression, and anxiety. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between social support service variations and anxiety and well-being.

Results: Five hundred and sixty-nine participants completed the survey (61 people with dementia, 285 unpaid carers, and 223 older adults). Paired samples t-tests and X2 -tests showed that the mean hour of weekly social support service usage and the number of people having accessed various services was significantly reduced post COVID-19. Multiple regression analyses showed that higher variations in social support service hours significantly predicted increased levels of anxiety in people with dementia and older adults, and lower levels of mental well-being in unpaid carers and older adults.

Conclusions: Being unable to access social support services due to COVID contributed to worse quality of life and anxiety in those affected by dementia and older adults across the UK. Social support services need to be enabled to continue providing support in adapted formats, especially in light of continued public health restrictions for the foreseeable future.

Keywords: COVID-19; caring; dementia; quality of life; social care; well-being.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

We declare no competing interests.

Clarissa Giebel conceptualised the study. Clarissa Giebel, Claudia Cooper, and Mark Gabbay developed the study analysis in consultation with the team. Daniel Pulford managed recruitment. Clarissa Giebel performed data analysis and draughted the manuscript. All co‐authors interpreted the findings jointly, provided feedback on drafts of the manuscript, and approved the final draft.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Social support service usage before and since COVID‐19 lockdown by group. T1 = Before COVID‐19 lockdown; T2 = Since COVID‐19 lockdown. Bar charts represent the proportion of participants within each group who reported having accessed individual social support services pre and since COVID
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Prevalence of anxiety and depression by group. The diagram shows the proportion of PLWD, carers, and older adults who scored 10 or above on the GAD‐7 or PHQ‐9 for anxiety and depression, respectively. OAs, Older adults; PLWD, People living with dementia
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Alzheimer's Disease International . Improving Healthcare for People Living with Dementia: Coverage, Quality and Costs Now and in the Future. London, England: Alzheimer's Disease International; 2016.
    1. Dam AEH, de Vugt ME, Klinkenberg IPM, et al. A systematic review of social support interventions for caregivers of people with dementia: are they doing what they promise? Maturitas. 2016;85:117‐130. - PubMed
    1. Willis E, Semple AC, de Waal H. Quantifying the benefits of peer support for people with dementia: a Social Return on Investment (SROI) study. Dementia. 2016. 10.1177/1471301216640184. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Giebel CM, Challis DJ, Montaldi D. A revised interview for deterioration in daily living activities in dementia reveals the relationship between social activities and well‐being. Dementia. 2016;15(5):1068‐1081. - PubMed
    1. Grenade L, Boldy D. Social isolation and loneliness among older people: issues and future challenges in community and residential settings. Aust Health Rev. 2008;32:468‐478. - PubMed

Publication types