Family caregivers play a crucial role in the day-to-day care of elderly relatives.  Research from the University of Michigan reveals, however, that whereas they would often be keenly involved in interactions with medical professionals prior to the pandemic, many were left out by the telehealth systems that emerged to maintain care.

The researchers asked volunteers to complete a short survey during 2020, with caregivers revealing that while telehealth certainly has benefits in terms of access to care and limited exposure to Covid, it does have some drawbacks in terms of the ability of relatives to manage the technology independently

Caregivers reported that among others, the benefits of telehealth included increased access to health care, limiting risk exposure to COVID-19, and improving the relationship and rapport between older relatives and care providers.

“There were some caregivers with relatives that had mobility challenges and so for them, telehealth was great because they didn’t have to worry about finding their relative an Uber or somebody to transport them to the doctor’s office,” the researchers explain. “The two biggest challenges were whether it’s appropriate—say with a wound infection—or whether their relative knows how to use the technology and is comfortable navigating the telehealth platform.”

Accessible platforms

“So, in many cases, getting into the visit requires multiple clicks, requires knowing how to use a computer, turning on the microphone, turning on the speakers, being able to hear. Some of the caregivers described their older relative’s hearing difficulties, and so it just became more frustrating because they couldn’t hear what the doctor was saying through the computer.”

It’s also crucial that caregivers understand the kind of involvement they’re allowed to have, with some revealing that they were not permitted into virtual visits, despite usually being allowed into in-person visits.

“The way that we think about caregiver involvement in in-person care and telehealth is still different,” the authors conclude. “And in terms of telehealth policy and practice, we need to start thinking about how we can better engage caregivers so that they can still stay involved, better support their relatives and also be better supported by the health care system.”