A Limited Opportunity: COVID-19 and Promotion of Advance Care Planning

Background: Little is known about how COVID-19 has influenced the role of family caregivers in advance care planning (ACP). Objectives: To explore the experiences of family caregivers and ACP in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: Exploratory sequential mixed-methods design of caregiver characteristics and pandemic response to ACP. Settings/Subjects: Family caregivers of care recipients with varied caregiving needs (dementia, mental illness, etc.). Measurements: Quantitative survey was done of fixed-choice questions of 82 caregivers. Semistructured qualitative telephone interviews were performed of a subsample of participants (n = 28). Results: Some (19%) of family caregivers revisited or updated advance directives of care recipients and/or had some type of contingency plan (33%) if they were to become ill. We identified three barriers caregivers faced during the pandemic that may have limited their engagement with ACP. Conclusions: Family caregivers need education regarding ACP and specific resources that can guide and support them through the process of ACP, for both themselves and care recipients.

Automated summary

The study found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, some family caregivers revisited or updated advance directives of care recipients, and 33% had some kind of contingency plan if they were to become ill. However, caregivers faced three barriers that may have limited their engagement with advance care planning during the pandemic. Family caregivers may need education and specific resources to guide and support them through the process of advance care planning.