The Perspective of Administrators of Intellectual Disability Organizations on the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To learn about the challenges, policies, and needed resources to serve people with intellectual disability and protect staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. From the perspective of intellectual disability service providers. METHODS: We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 16 intellectual disability organization administrators throughout Illinois, USA from November 2020 through February 2021. We coded and analyzed the data using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three major themes emerged: (1) COVID-19 caused considerable challenges to people with intellectual disability and staff and service providers, (2) intellectual disability organizations reinvented service provisions in response to COVID-19 challenges, and (3) the interrelatedness of intellectual disability organizations, public policies, and community entities became evident. CONCLUSIONS: Exhibiting responsiveness to needs and developing innovative solutions were strategies championed by intellectual disability organizations during the pandemic. Fostering collaboration with community entities may assist these organizations in navigating pandemic challenges and developing resilient infrastructure for future environmental threats.

Experiences of caregivers and hospice leaders with telehealth for palliative care: a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: Telehealth was expanded worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver essential care remotely to patients, including those receiving palliative care. Bipartisan groups of politicians in the United States call for continuing the expanded Medicare coverage of telehealth services beyond the pandemic period. The aim was to understand telehealth's benefits and risks to hospice and palliative care patients and their families. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 595 caregivers of seriously ill patients and interviewed 25 hospice leaders across the United States. We used multiple linear regression to analyze the survey data and qualitative methods to determine themes from the interview data. RESULTS: Our survey showed that a good internet connection, better access to video, and the patient being younger than 65 years old were associated with greater satisfaction with telehealth. The hospice leader interviews highlighted that telehealth can enhance or detract from quality care, depending on the function; confusion over telehealth policies and concern for abuse exists; and telehealth during the pandemic has spurred on technology-enabled innovation and improvements, especially for resource-constrained hospice and palliative care organizations. CONCLUSIONS: Telehealth used during the pandemic showed that it may work for certain hospice and palliative care services. As telehealth coverage expands, it is important to address its risks and shortcomings upfront. When designed and implemented with the patient and equity in mind, telehealth has the potential to improve access to hospice and palliative care for all.

Perspectives on Telehealth for Hospice and Palliative Care: Where It Adds Value (ODS6)

Outcomes 1. Describe the areas of confusion and concern about using telehealth for hospice and palliative care 2. Explain components related to telehealth (eg, video, internet, and device accessibility) that relate to better satisfaction with telehealth 3. Discuss opportunities for telehealth to enhance care for seriously ill patients receiving hospice and palliative care Telehealth has been expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver essential care to sick patients, including older adult hospice and palliative care patients. Hospice and palliative care industry leaders and bipartisan groups of politicians call for increasing Medicare coverage of telehealth services to make permanent the reduced restrictions on virtual services during the pandemic. In follow-up to their recent national studies focused on racial and ethnic equity in hospice care, this public health and economics research team presents the reality of telehealth during the pandemic and the confusion and concern going forward for hospice leaders and informal caregivers of seriously ill patients. They will highlight the challenges and opportunities of delivering quality hospice and palliative care by using telehealth to traditionally underserved groups. The session will present findings from the authors’ 2021 survey of 600 informal caregivers and interviews with 25 hospice executives across the United States about telehealth for hospice care. As one interviewee put it, “It's really hard to put the horse back in the barn at this point”;telehealth is not going away. This session will help clinicians gain awareness and understanding of their peers and other stakeholders’ perspectives on experiencing telehealth in hospice care.

Association of anti-contagion policies with the spread of COVID-19 in United States.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of a novel coronavirus, known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), or COVID-19, raised worldwide concern. The present study investigates the association between anti-contagion policies and the spread of COVID-19 across the United States. DESIGN AND METHODS: We selected the most frequently implemented COVID-19 anti-contagion policies in all the U.S. states issued from 29 February 2020. Accordingly, we modified an epidemiological model and combined it with a comprehensive statistical analysis to evaluate the policies' individual and overall likely impact. RESULTS: For the first time, a novel index, evaluates the associations between policy implementation and COVID-19 spread at both statewide and national levels. Our results indicate that governmental policies requiring mask use, businesses social distancing, and quarantining travelers may be most effective for controlling COVID-19 spread. Simultaneously, widespread orders like school closure and safer-at-home that can be particularly disruptive to the economy and social fabric of society may be unnecessary given their lack of association with reducing infection. CONCLUSIONS: The absence of any COVID-19 vaccines during the first several months of its pandemic necessitated using governmental policies to help stop the spread of this disease. Our index showed the association between implemented policies and COVID-19 spread, highlighting the specific policies with the greatest association - mandatory quarantine upon entering a state, businesses implementing social distancing, and mandatory mask use - and those with less association like school closure and safer-at-home orders. This study provided evidence to inform policy choices for the current global crisis and future pandemics.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Health and Well-being of Informal Caregivers of People with Dementia: A Rapid Systematic Review.

Background: In December 2019, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), or COVID-19, raised worldwide concern. Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively influenced health and wellness across the globe and caused nearly three million deaths. This study focuses on informal caregivers of people with dementia, a disease that affects about 50 million older adults worldwide and requires much caregiving support. Objective: Examine the current literature on the impact of COVID-19 on the health and well-being of informal caregivers for people with dementia. Method: This rapid review was conducted across five electronic databases for quantitative and qualitative articles published through March 15, 2021. Results: The 10 studies included in this review reported quantitative descriptive data from across the globe; however, no studies existed from the U.S. or East Asia countries. All of the studies examined the psychological rather than physical impact of COVID-19 and highlighted risk and protective factors in the areas of psychosocial (resilience, neuropsychiatric, and social isolation), sociodemographic (gender and education), and environmental (home confinement, living arrangement, and dementia stage). Conclusion: COVID-19 has had a considerable negative impact on the psychological well-being of informal caregivers of people with dementia, namely causing more depression and anxiety than pre-pandemic.

Hospice Response to COVID-19: Promoting Sustainable Inclusion Strategies for Racial and Ethnic Minorities.

There is a disproportionate burden of illness and death among racial/ethnic minorities related to COVID-19. The importance of reaching groups suffering the most with resources such as advance directive guidance, telehealth, and culturally sensitive education materials is vital to providing quality, inclusive care. A crisis presents an opportunity to unite and problem-solve to help avoid the dire consequences facing inaction. In this way, inclusive responses by hospices, social workers, other community partners during the COVID-19 pandemic can help reach and alleviate the pain of those groups most afflicted. We offer hospice inclusion strategies that align with general pandemic response trends that may lead to greater hospice inclusion beyond this public health emergency.

Teaching During the Pandemic? An Opportunity to Enhance Curriculum

The rapid transition of courses to an emergency remote teaching and learning format at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 created challenges across the university landscape for faculty and students and, inevitably, affects the future of higher education. We drew upon education theory, evidence-based teaching practices, and insights from a rapid-response survey of academics in the fields of public health, health promotion, and health communication about their perspectives on the impact of COVID-19. This article aims to help educators explore potential strategies to incorporate the lessons and reality of the pandemic into their curriculum. Shifting expectations and bringing pedagogy to the remote tools are among the several suggestions offered here to ease frustration and teach students in the short- and long-term. We encourage academics to consider the situational factors that can affect teaching and learning by putting forth a series of questions to reflect upon when reassessing the real-life context of a course.