Self-Efficacy as a Tool for Older Adults to Cope with Coronavirus
JS is a 72 year-old caregiver to her 75 year-old husband with advanced heart failure. She usually brings him in to clinic every 3 months. In April, she was able to conduct a telemedicine visit with the heart failure clinic. She said her grand-daughter had face-timed with her from out of state and talked her through using the computer to connect to the electronic record, but she had to search for her glasses to read the weight chart to the provider, as she could not scan and upload it. And she got flustered manipulating the camera to show his degree of edema. She requested refills but, she expressed a sincere fear of going to the pharmacy to pick-up the medications, where there may be sick people. JS is not alone in the adaptations she is making or the stress she feels from having to do so. Even formerly routine activities of daily living like grocery shopping feel oddly intense, full of new rules and routines. This is not normal time; this is pandemic time, and the impacts on health are likely to be significant even in those who never get COVID-19. Continue Reading