Video Call Usage in Older Adults With or Without Dementia Impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Abstract

The usage of video calls for social connection generally increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. It remains unclear, how individuals with dementia (IWD), many of who already experienced isolation in their care settings, use and perceive video calls, what barriers and benefits exist, and how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their use of video calls. An online survey was conducted to healthy older adults (OA) and people surrounding IWD as proxies. Both OA and IWD showed increased use of video calls after COVID-19 and the severity of dementia was not correlated with the video call usage among IWD during this period. Both groups perceived significant benefits in using video calls. However, IWD exhibited more difficulties and barriers to using them compared to OA. Given the perceived benefits of video calls to the quality of life in both populations, education and support by family, caregivers, or healthcare professionals are necessary for them.