Caregiving of Older Persons during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Russian Arctic Province: Challenges and Practice

Elena Golubeva, Anastasia Emelyanova, Olga Kharkova, Arja Rautio and Andrey Soloviev
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Elena Golubeva: Department of Social Work and Social Security, Northern (Arctic) Federal University, Northern Dvina Embankment, 17, 163002 Arkhangelsk, Russia
Anastasia Emelyanova: Thule Institute, University of Oulu & University of the Arctic, Paavo Havaksen Tie 3, P.O. Box 7300, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland
Olga Kharkova: Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Northern State Medical University, 51, Troitsky Avenue, 163061 Arkhangelsk, Russia
Arja Rautio: Thule Institute, University of Oulu & University of the Arctic, Paavo Havaksen Tie 3, P.O. Box 7300, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland
Andrey Soloviev: Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Northern State Medical University, 51, Troitsky Avenue, 163061 Arkhangelsk, Russia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 5, 1-13

Abstract: Older people and their families were particularly affected during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but not much is known about the context of the Arctic regions of Russia. In this study, we identified the changes in family care before and during the pandemic using a questionnaire for the informal caregivers of older people. We investigated how and to what extent the pandemic has affected the relationships between caregiver and older person, and how the mental and physical health of older people and caregivers were affected by self-isolation in the Arkhangelsk region of Russia. The pandemic has changed the contribution of care from various actors: the share of care by charities, churches, and other aid agencies increased, while that of municipal services decreased. Sixteen percent of female and forty percent of male caregivers informed the study that COVID-19-related restrictions led to deterioration in the health of older people cared for at home. Family caregivers’ own health worsened, especially mental health: 28% of caregivers reported aggravated stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and expressed various fears. Our data show that the main resources in overcoming the period of self-isolation have been telephone communication, personal contact, reading/music, friends, as well as the help of social services and maintaining a positive attitude.

Keywords: COVID-19; older person; caregiver; caregiver’s support; family-focused care; health; self-isolation; Russia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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