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
. 2023 Mar 13;78(Suppl 1):S81-S90.
doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbac089.

COVID-19-Related Changes in Assistance Networks for U.S. Older Adults With and Without Dementia

Monique J Brown  1   2   3   4 , Haowei Wang  5 , I-Fen Lin  6 , Daniel Gan  7 , Deborah Oyeyemi  8 , Mark Manning  9 , Vicki A Freedman  10
Affiliations

COVID-19-Related Changes in Assistance Networks for U.S. Older Adults With and Without Dementia

Monique J Brown et al. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. .

Abstract

Objectives: Prepandemic research suggests assistance networks for older adults grow over time and are larger for those living with dementia. We examined how assistance networks of older adults changed in response to the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and whether these changes differed for those with and without dementia.

Methods: We used 3 rounds of the National Health and Aging Trends Study. We estimated multinomial logistic regression models to test whether changes in assistance networks during COVID-19 (2019-2020)-defined as expansion, contraction, and adaptation-differed from changes prior to COVID-19 (2018-2019). We also estimated ordinary least squares regression models to test differences in the numbers of helpers assisting with one (specialist) versus multiple (generalist) domains before and during COVID-19. For both sets of outcomes, we investigated whether pandemic-related changes differed for those with and without dementia.

Results: Over all activity domains, a greater proportion of assistance networks adapted during COVID-19 compared to the pre-COVID-19 period (relative risk ratio = 1.19, p < .05). Contractions in networks occurred for those without dementia. Transportation assistance contracted for those with and without dementia, and mobility/self-care assistance contracted for those with dementia. The average number of generalist helpers decreased during COVID-19 (β = -0.09, p < .001).

Discussion: Early in the pandemic, assistance networks of older adults adapted by substituting helpers, by contracting to reduce exposures with more intimate tasks for recipients with dementia, and by reducing transportation assistance. Future research should explore the impact of such changes on the well-being of older adults and their assistance networks.

Keywords: COVID-19; Caregiving; Dementia; Network changes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Alzheimer’s Association. (2022). 2022 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures
    1. Cantor, M. H. (1979). Neighbors and friends: An overlooked resource in the informal support system. Research on Aging, 1(4), 434–463. doi:10.1177/016402757914002 - DOI
    1. Hwang, Y., Connell, L. M., Rajpara, A. R., & Hodgson, N. A. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 on dementia caregivers and factors associated with their anxiety symptoms. American Journal of Alzheimer's Diseases and Other Dementia, 36, 1–8. doi:10.1177/15333175211008768 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kasper, J. D., & Freedman, V. A. (2021). National Health and Aging Trends Study user guides: Rounds 1-10 beta release.Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.
    1. Kasper, J. D., Freedman, V. A., & Spillman, B. C. (2013). Classification of persons by dementia status in the National Health and Aging Trends Study. Technical Paper No. 5. Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.

Publication types