Caring for Family During COVID-19

In the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing isn’t always just about the space you keep between yourself and strangers. With the 2020 holiday season quickly approaching, millions of Americans may suddenly be thinking about their holiday travel plans in a new light. For some people, family gatherings will be canceled altogether, and for many more, family get-togethers will be much smaller than usual. 

Beyond the holidays, many people may be seeing less of their family members, particularly older relatives or those with weakened immune systems whose health is more fragile. 

So how are Americans approaching social distancing as it relates to their family members, and what creative solutions are they coming up with to open up the lines of communication when face-to-face interactions aren’t safe or possible? To find out, we surveyed over 1,000 people caring for and staying in touch with family members in socially distanced ways. Read on as we explore how many seniors are being checked in on; how staying connected impacts their mental health and mood; and how many Americans are supporting their relatives (from managing their health care to setting up grocery deliveries) through the pandemic.

How Supported Seniors Feel 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), older adults are among the most vulnerable for severe illness from COVID-19 and that risk continues to increase with age. Severe illness from the disease may result in hospitalization, intensive care, ventilators to assist with breathing, and possibly even death. In an effort to reduce this risk, the CDC recommends older adults limit their interactions with others and take extra precautions to prevent contracting COVID-19. 

A majority of seniors surveyed (92%) reported having someone check in with them on a regular basis during the pandemic. Most commonly, those interactions came from children (86%), siblings (61%), grandchildren (58%), and other relatives (58%). Not only were their own children the most likely to check in, but seniors also indicated their children checked in with the highest frequency. Sixty-seven percent of seniors also said they were being checked in on more often during the pandemic than before it began.

Even if getting together isn’t an option or isn’t safe, many people are utilizing technology to stay connected with family members. Seniors said the most common check-in methods included phone calls (74%) and texts (61%). While 55% of seniors said their family members were still visiting in-person, 51% utilized video calls, and 33% used email to stay in touch. 

Seventy-four percent of seniors were happy with the frequency they were being checked on, and 80% said they were very satisfied with the support they were receiving from family members. More than half (57%) of seniors reported being helped with managing their health and health care, followed by maintaining their homes (35%) and maintaining their hygiene (30%). Another 69% of seniors said they would benefit from getting more help managing their health or health care, and 48% would benefit from support with maintaining their hygiene. 

The Benefits of Communication 

Quarantine continues to play an important role in preventing the spread of COVID-19, but even limited stretches of time without interpersonal interaction can create deep feelings of loneliness and have a negative impact on our mental well-being.

Eighty-six percent of seniors indicated it improved their day when being checked in on by family members, and nearly as many said these opportunities to connect improved their moods (84%), made them feel closer to the person checking in (83%), and made them feel appreciated (80%). Nearly all of the seniors surveyed (96%) indicated they experienced at least one of the benefits listed as a result of having a loved one check on them. 

As we found, seniors who felt they weren’t getting enough attention or support from their family members were far more likely to report feeling angry, depressed, or sad. Eighty-six percent of seniors who were dissatisfied with the frequency they were checked in on said they were angry, and 71% said they were either depressed or sad. By contrast, just 45% of seniors happy with their level of interaction with family members said they felt angry during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 47% indicated feeling depressed. Feelings of depression were also incredibly high among 83% of seniors who felt they weren’t getting enough family support, compared to 46% of seniors who were satisfied with the help they were being given. 

Taking Care of Relatives During COVID-19

Nearly all of the people polled (97%) reported checking in on a relative during the pandemic, though men were 50% more likely than women not to have touched base with a family member during the pandemic. 

Most commonly, 83% of Americans checked in with their parents during COVID-19, and 75% checked in on their siblings. While less common, more than 1 in 3 people also touched base with other relatives (40%), their grandparents (37%), and their own children (36%). More than half of respondents admitted they were checking in on their relatives more often during the pandemic than they did before, and 68% acknowledged modern technology made it easier for them to stay in touch with relatives they would otherwise be separated from during the pandemic. Phone calls (33%), text messages (30%), video calls (15%), and social media (5%) made it easier for people to stay in touch with family despite the distance between them. 

While 57% reported checking in on their relatives because they felt some sense of responsibility, they more often just wanted to say hello (67%) or wanted to assess their well-being (65%). Regardless of the reasoning, women were more likely to check in on their relatives, including being 17 percentage points more likely to call to catch up or to check on a family member’s well-being. 

Using Technology to Stay Connected

Less common than the number of people checking in on their family members, 57% of respondents reported helping their relatives throughout the pandemic, including 61% of men and 53% of women. 

The most common methods of support included managing health and health care (56%), maintaining the home (41%), helping to complete daily tasks (33%), and coordinating transportation (29%). Three in 4 people supporting their relatives during the pandemic reported doing so at least once per week, while 1 in 3 were supporting their family members six or seven times a week. 

More than half of people were also using technology to help support their relatives during COVID-19, including to arrange grocery delivery (59%), ordering meal delivery services (42%), and coordinating chores and other home care services (26%). Seventy-eight percent of respondents also admitted their relatives would benefit from additional help during the pandemic. 

Keeping Your Loved Ones Safe

Across the country, Americans are adapting to life at a distance. Whether as a result of quarantine, limited travel, or the safety of those who may be considered high risk for COVID-19, many people are seeing less and less of their family members. While many people are doing more during the pandemic to make sure their family members feel cared for, many also admitted they could be doing more. As we found, seniors who felt they weren’t being checked in on or supported enough were more likely to report feeling angry, sad, or depressed.

At Medical Alert Buyers Guide, we know exactly how important it is to care for the most vulnerable people in your life. Your parents or grandparents may be getting older, but their independence and self-reliance may be more important now than ever before. With expert opinions on the best medical alert systems in 2020, including smartwatches and in-car systems, we’ve narrowed down our favorite solutions to help keep your loved ones safe. Explore the best medical alert products, GPS trackers, and discounts on safety products online at MedicalAlertBuyersGuide.org today. 

Methodology and Limitations

We surveyed 1,001 respondents using the Amazon MTurk platform. Our sample size of respondents aged 65 and over was 168 respondents. 490 respondents were male, 510 respondents were female, and one respondent didn’t identify as male or female. To help ensure accurate results, all respondents were required to identify and correctly answer an attention-check question.

In some cases, questions and responses were rephrased for brevity or clarity. These data rely on self-reporting and are subject to the issues of self-report, including the following: telescoping, exaggeration, and recency bias.

Fair Use Statement

Assisting a loved one is always important, especially during times like these. Help share the results of this study, even at a distance. We simply ask that you include a link back to this page in your story for any noncommercial use as credit to our team for their work compiling and presenting this information.