Program Area: Behavioral and Social Sciences
Amanda Leggett, PhD
Assistant Professor
Psychiatry
Wayne State University
Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States
.jpg "Laura Gitlin, PhD, FGSA, FAAN photo")
Laura Gitlin, PhD, FGSA, FAAN
Dean and Distinguished Professor
College of Nursing and Health Professions
Drexel University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Amanda Leggett, PhD
Assistant Professor
Psychiatry
Wayne State University
Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States
Sheria Robinson-Lane, PhD, MSN, MHA
Assistant Professor
Department of Systems, Populations and Leadership
University of Michigan School of Nursing
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Sara Masoud, PhD(c)
Community Engagement Coordinator
School of Nursing
UT Health San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas, United States
Jiaming Liang, PhD
Postdoc Research Associate
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California, United States
The COVID-19 pandemic carries risk for severe complications and mortality among older adults, placing their family caregivers in key support roles in helping their care recipients stay safe, maintain function, and abide by preventative recommendations. Yet such preventative safety precautions, changes to social support structures, and impacts on healthcare access may pose challenges with which caregivers must cope. This symposium considers how family caregivers adapted their care practices and adjusted to care-related challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, Dr. Amanda Leggett presents data on pandemic-specific care-related challenges and supports experienced by dementia caregivers and their association with well-being and stress process outcomes. Ms. Sara Masoud shares mixed-methods data from persons living with dementia, caregivers, and healthcare professionals on their health and quality of life during the pandemic. Mr. Jiaming Liang presents dyadic findings from the National Study of Caregiving on persons living with dementia and their caregivers’ perceptions of COVID-19 and personal and social COVID-specific preventative behaviors. Finally, Dr. Sheria Robinson-Lane offers a diverse caregiving perspective by presenting dyadic qualitative data on COVID-19 patients who were intubated in the hospital and their family caregiver, and offering themes on how caregivers adjusted to their new care role. To conclude, our discussant Dr. Laura Gitlin will offer insight on cross-cutting implications across studies and offer perspective on how lessons learned through pandemic caregiving may inform the field more broadly and enhance caregiver well-being beyond pandemic contexts.
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Amanda N. Leggett, PhD – Wayne State University
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Sheria G. Robinson-Lane, PhD, MSN, MHA – University of Michigan School of Nursing
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Sara Masoud, PhD(c) – UT Health San Antonio
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Jiaming Liang, PhD – University of Southern California