A Limited Opportunity: COVID-19 and Promotion of Advance Care Planning

• Published in: Palliative medicine reports Vol. 2; no. 1; pp. 194 - 198
• Main Authors: Dassel, Kara B., Towsley, Gail L., Utz, Rebecca L., Ellington, Lee, Terrill, Alexandra, Scammon, Debra, Bristol, Alycia A., Thompson, Amber, Mickens, Melody
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 140 Huguenot Street, 3rd FloorNew Rochelle, NY 10801USA Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers 01.06.2021; Mary Ann Liebert
• Subjects: Brief Report; caregiving; end-of-life care; pandemic; pandemic; caregiving; end-of-life care
• ISSN: 2689-2820; 2689-2820
• DOI: 10.1089/pmr.2021.0013

Background: Little is known about how COVID-19 has influenced the role of family caregivers in advance care planning (ACP). Objectives: To explore the experiences of family caregivers and ACP in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: Exploratory sequential mixed-methods design of caregiver characteristics and pandemic response to ACP. Settings/Subjects: Family caregivers of care recipients with varied caregiving needs (dementia, mental illness, etc.). Measurements: Quantitative survey was done of fixed-choice questions of 82 caregivers. Semistructured qualitative telephone interviews were performed of a subsample of participants ( n  = 28). Results: Some (19%) of family caregivers revisited or updated advance directives of care recipients and/or had some type of contingency plan (33%) if they were to become ill. We identified three barriers caregivers faced during the pandemic that may have limited their engagement with ACP. Conclusions: Family caregivers need education regarding ACP and specific resources that can guide and support them through the process of ACP, for both themselves and care recipients.