Konetzka, R. Tamara

Research Objective: COVID-19 poses unique challenges to family caregivers. This study explores how family caregivers for older adults with cognitive impairments experience and make decisions about caregiving during a global pandemic. Study Design: Using purposive sampling, family caregivers participated in open-ended qualitive interviews (2019–2020), until thematic saturation was reached. Questions broadly examined caregivers' experiences and decisions, focusing on decisions made around type of care setting.

Rates of informal home care use among older adults with disabilities increased from 2004 to 2016, such that in 2016 almost three-quarters of these adults received informal home care. Informal care remains the most common source of home care, even though formal home care use grew at almost twice the rate, with a 6-percentage-point increase to 36.9 percent in 2016.