Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Carers of Older People Living with Dementia in Italy and Hungary

László Árpád Kostyál, Zsuzsa Széman, Virág Erzsébet Almási, Paolo Fabbietti, Sabrina Quattrini, Marco Socci, Giovanni Lamura and Cristina Gagliardi
Additional contact information
László Árpád Kostyál: Institute of Mental Health, Semmelweis University, P.O. Box 2, 1428 Budapest, Hungary
Zsuzsa Széman: Institute of Mental Health, Semmelweis University, P.O. Box 2, 1428 Budapest, Hungary
Virág Erzsébet Almási: Independent Researcher, 1191 Budapest, Hungary
Paolo Fabbietti: Unit of Geriatric Pharmacoepidemiology and Biostatistics, IRCCS INRCA-National Institute of Health and Science on Ageing, Via Santa Margherita 5, 60124 Ancona, Italy
Sabrina Quattrini: Centre for Socio-Economic Research on Ageing, IRCCS INRCA-National Institute of Health and Science on Ageing, Via Santa Margherita 5, 60124 Ancona, Italy
Marco Socci: Centre for Socio-Economic Research on Ageing, IRCCS INRCA-National Institute of Health and Science on Ageing, Via Santa Margherita 5, 60124 Ancona, Italy
Giovanni Lamura: Centre for Socio-Economic Research on Ageing, IRCCS INRCA-National Institute of Health and Science on Ageing, Via Santa Margherita 5, 60124 Ancona, Italy
Cristina Gagliardi: Centre for Socio-Economic Research on Ageing, IRCCS INRCA-National Institute of Health and Science on Ageing, Via Santa Margherita 5, 60124 Ancona, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 13, 1-19

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major effect on both older people with dementia and families caring for them. This paper presents the results of an online survey carried out among Italian and Hungarian family carers of people with dementia during the first pandemic wave (May–July 2020, n = 370). The research questions were the following: (1) How has the pandemic changed the lives of family carers? (2) How did government restriction measures change the availability of care-related help? (3) What other changes did families experience? Results show that about one-quarter of both subsamples experienced a deterioration in their financial status. A decline in both general and mental health was also reported. Due to “lockdown”, family carers’ burden increased substantially. Utilization of care-related help decreased, and the share of those left with no help increased in both countries. Cross-country differences emerged in terms of dementia care system, severity of the first pandemic wave, and measures put in place by governments. Findings outline the weaknesses of support structures and their country-specific vulnerabilities to a worldwide pandemic. To better protect people with dementia in the future, it is essential to strengthen their family carers, and support structures need to be re-evaluated and re-designed.

Keywords: family carers; older people; dementia; caregiving; country comparison; support services; COVID-19; care needs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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