Dementia Caregiving During the “Stay-at-Home” Phase of COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess family caregivers’ primary appraisal of stressors related to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, secondary appraisal of resources and support availability, and use of coping strategies as predictors of perceived role overload during the stay-at-home phase of the pandemic. METHOD: Telephone interviews with 53 family caregivers of persons with dementia from rural Virginia 2 weeks after enactment of the governor’s stay-at-home order using structured and open-ended questions were conducted. RESULTS: Caregivers who were more concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic were at greater odds of experiencing high role overload than those who recognized positive aspects of the pandemic, as were those who received insufficient support from family and friends. DISCUSSION: Use of the transactional model of stress responses yielded important insights about families coping with dementia. Caregivers’ perceptions of the pandemic’s impact varied, with differential effects on their well-being.