Impacts of COVID-19 on Health and Healthcare for Rural Veterans in Home-Based Primary Care.
Priscilla YeeKatharina V EchtAlayne D MarklandLisa ZubkoffPublished in: Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society (2023)
This qualitative study explored the impact of COVID-19 on older rural-dwelling veterans and their caregivers enrolled in home-based primary care (HBPC) through the Birmingham VA Health Care System (BVAHCS). Phone interviews were conducted with 16 veterans and/or their caregivers and rapid qualitative analysis of interview notes was performed. Average age of veterans was 77 (range = 69-97) and 93.7% were white males. Despite a significant number of co-morbidities, 68.8% reported minimal adverse impacts of COVID-19 on overall physical and mental health. Like many healthcare teams, the inter-disciplinary VA HBPC team incorporated Telehealth during COVID-19. Telehealth utilization varied among the 16 participants, with 50% using telehealth independently, 37.5% needing assistance, and 12% lacking access. Our findings are consistent with prior research that identifies resilient characteristics as potentially protective in this high-risk older veteran population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keyphrases
- healthcare
- primary care
- coronavirus disease
- mental health
- sars cov
- palliative care
- physical activity
- south africa
- public health
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- systematic review
- middle aged
- community dwelling
- genome wide
- emergency department
- general practice
- loop mediated isothermal amplification
- social media
- human health
- quantum dots