Impact of COVID-19 on healthcare access for older adults with combined hearing and vision loss: A Canada-wide survey of healthcare workers

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Older adults with combined hearing and vision loss (dual sensory loss/DSL) are a highly vulnerable population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although around 1.1 million older Canadians live with DSL, data are scarce on how COVID-19 affected their access to healthcare during the pandemic. Therefore, the present study explored the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare access for older Canadians with DSL. Methods: We distributed an online survey for healthcare workers who provided services to older adults with DSL during the pandemic. Survey data were collected from 228 Canadian healthcare workers between August and November 2021. Content analysis was used to analyze open-ended qualitative data, whereas descriptive statistics were used for quantitative survey data using SPSS. Results: Almost all healthcare workers felt that COVID-19 has negatively affected their care delivery to older adults with DSL, especially due to physical distancing and use of Personal Protective Equipment. Moreover, those using telehealth with their older clients reported that COVID-19 related shift to telehealth appointments restricted access to healthcare for their clients. Most respondents (91%) felt that older adults with DSL found it difficult to follow pandemic-related physical distancing guidelines in a clinical or health system setting. While 69% of them believed that the health system was not adapted to match the needs of older adults living DSL, 71 % felt healthcare professionals are not adequately trained to meet the needs of this population in pandemic situations such as COVID-19. Conclusions: We concluded that the pandemic has negatively impacted healthcare services to older adults with DSL. The pandemic accentuated the need for equitable care for older adults with DSL, considering the unique challenges experienced by them and their healthcare providers. Our study findings underscored the need for training of healthcare professionals on the communication and accessibility needs of older adults living with DSL.