Providing Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Results - Impact of COVID-19 on People Receiving Supports
Figure 8. Percentage of respondents by number of people supported with COVID-19.
At the time of this survey, 91% participants had not supported anyone diagnosed with COVID-19. Five percent had supported 1-2 people diagnosed with COVID-19, 2% supported 3-5 people, 1% supported 6-9 people, and 1% supported 10 or more people. Figure 8 details this information about the percentage of respondents by number of people supported who had been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Figure 9. Respondent perceptions about how people they support followed guidelines for social distancing
When asked how the people who received supports about following social distancing measures, 60% said they were following guidelines good or very good, 24% said fair, and 16% said poor. Figure 9 details these perceptions about people they supported following guidelines for social distancing.
Figure 10. Respondents report of the frequency with which the people they supported were allowed in-person visits with family or friends.
DSPs also reported on the frequency the people they supported were allowed in-person visits with their family members or friends. Ten percent of DSPs said people they supported were allowed to visit with their family members or friends in person often, 10% said sometimes, 16% said seldom, and 64% said never as they were not allowed to have visitors in their home. These data are represented in Figure 10.
DSPs were asked about the consequences the people they supported were experiencing due to the social isolation from the COVID-19 pandemic. Of all DSPs,
- 80% said boredom,
- 57% said increased mood swings and/or depression,
- 52% said increased behavior issues,
- 48% said loneliness,
- 47% said sleeping more than usual,
- 15% said difficulty addressing dietary issues, and
- 5% said difficulty addressing pain management issues,
Six percent listed other consequences experienced due to COVID-19 included: more anxiety, less sleep, other health issues, regression, negativity, missed going out into the community, couldn’t see specialists, cabin fever, decreased exercise, trouble accessing school meals, and academic concerns.