Program Area: Behavioral and Social Sciences
Tamar Wyte-Lake, DPT, MPH
Associate Director of Clinical Research
Veterans Emergency Management Evaluation Center
Veterans Emergency Management Evaluation Center (VEMEC), US Department of Veterans Affairs
North Hills, California, United States
Leah Haverhals, PhD, MA
Health Research Scientist
Denver Center of Innovation for Veteran-Centered & Value-Driven Care
VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center
Denver, Colorado, United States
Richard Chunga, MS
Project Director
Gerontology
University of Massachusetts Boston
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Lindsay Peterson, PhD
Research Assistant Professor, Director, Long-term Care Internships Administration and Aging Sciences Internship Program and Interim Director of the Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging
School of Aging Studies
University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida, United States
Jessica McLaughlin, PhD, MSW, LCSW (she/her/hers)
Researcher
Graduate School of Social Work
Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging
Denver, Colorado, United States
Chelsea Manheim, LCSW (she/her/hers)
Health Science Specialist
COIN
Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC
Aurora, Colorado, United States
Carrie Wendel-Hummell, PhD
Research Project Director
Center for Research on Aging and Disability Options
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas, United States
The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the critical role caregivers play in supporting the older adult population, and how easily care structures can fall apart under the stress of a disaster event. As our population rapidly ages, it is imperative to better understand how to support caregivers to ensure relationships between caregivers and older adults remain robust and guarantee everyone’s safety. Therefore, this symposium focuses on the roles of formal and informal caregivers during disasters, primarily the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Richard Chunga will present findings from a survey of homecare aides, exploring drivers of high turnover rates and describing how employers can improve job satisfaction. Dr. Lindsay Peterson will describe barriers and facilitators to disaster preparedness among caregivers, using interviews with caregivers from diverse backgrounds in Florida. Ms. Jessica McLaughlin (PhDc) will share experiences of informal female caregivers, derived from interviews across the United States (US). Chelsea Manheim (LCSW) will describe adaptations to care provision for rural Medical Foster Home (MFH) Veterans from interviews conducted with MFH care providers from across the US. Dr. Carrie Wendel-Hummell will share data around the strengths and challenges of the self-directed care model for home-based long-term care, drawing on interviews with consumers, caregivers, workers, and providers in Kansas. As a whole, these presenters will provide insights into experiences of caregivers as they navigated challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and generate forward thinking on how to inform future disaster response. Sponsoring SIGs: Paid Caregiving, Family Caregiving, Assisted Living, Disaster and Older Adults
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Richard E. Chunga, MS – University of Massachusetts Boston
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Lindsay J. Peterson, PhD – University of South Florida
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Jessica K. McLaughlin, PhD, MSW, LCSW (she/her/hers) – Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Chelsea Manheim, LCSW (she/her/hers) – Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Carrie L. Wendel-Hummell, PhD – University of Kansas