RESUMEN
During the early period of COVID-19 pandemic, there was a serious shortage of personal protective equipments (PPEs), which caused difficulty in homecare agencies to make home visits to those (possible) positive COVID-19 cases. An organization with the help of several foundations started a special program to distribute PPEs to those agencies in which there was a possible case or those cases that had close contact with the positive cases. This study examined whether this voluntary activity contributed to increasing the sense of security in providing care among homecare workers. We conducted a survey with homecare agencies that received PPEs from the program between July 2020 and February 2021. The participants were agency managers who applied for PPEs. We conducted the survey twice, before and after receiving PPEs. In the questionnaire, we asked about the overall sense of security in providing care for those infected with COVID-19, reasons for applying for PPE, symptoms of the client or his/her family who caused the PPE request, and the agency's and clients' characteristics. We analyzed the data from 802 responses. Before PPE distribution, the sense of security was associated with the focal client having a cognitive impairment (β = −0.096), having cough (β = −0.088), fatigue (β = −0.085), or headache (β = −0.078). Agencies that did not visits those (possibly) positive cases (β = −0.123) had lower sense of security. Overall, the mean sense of security increased after receiving PPE. Factors that contributed to the increase in sense of security included a lower sense of security before the application (β = −0.529), visiting clients without dyspnoea (β = −0.109), the agency that did not visit positive cases before the application (β = −0.089), and with higher satisfaction with the days of PPEs received (β = 0.144). These results underline the benefit of the special PPsE distribution program.
RESUMEN
This study investigated lifestyle changes and the self-reported mental health status of Japanese community residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Differences in demography, daily lifestyle changes, and approaches to problem solving were analyzed in two age cohorts (<60 vs ≥60 years). The prevalence of moderate/increased psychological distress was 31.7%, with no significant difference between the cohorts. Compared with the pre-COVID-19 era, more than 80% of the participants stopped eating out and spent more time at home, and more than 70% used public transport less frequently. There were significant differences between the cohorts for the time spent at home, opportunities to eat meals outside of home, and shopping in stores. Participants aged under 60 years were less likely to use television and newspapers or to consult a family doctor. Those aged over 60 years were less likely to consult friends/colleagues or to use the Internet/social networking services. Identifying the risk factors for psychological distress is warranted for implementing measures to maintain and improve the physical and mental health of residents.