Date Presented 03/22/24
This paper presents three cases from interviews with caregivers who assisted older rural clients in OT video sessions, describing a range of family caregiver perspectives.
Primary Author and Speaker: Megan E. Gately
Additional Authors and Speakers: Dylan E. Waller, Matthew Maynard, Lauren R. Moo
PURPOSE: Rural clients face challenges accessing occupational therapy service, which is concentrated in urban areas. Older clients face added barriers, since age and condition-related impairments make traveling difficult. Video telehealth increases older rural client access to occupational therapy at Veterans Affairs. While family caregivers of older rural clients often participate in video sessions, little is known about caregivers’ experience.
DESIGN: Descriptive.
METHOD: To describe the range of family caregiver involvement with occupational therapy video telehealth, this study presents 3 cases from semi-structured interviews with family caregivers (N=20) of older rural clients who completed occupational therapy video sessions.
RESULTS: Family caregivers support older rural client health and well-being in and around occupational therapy video sessions. Caregivers assisting in OT video sessions have a range of roles, ages, and levels of technical confidence. Caregivers provide, set up, and operate video-enabled devices and facilitate client-clinician communication and in-home assessment, often persevering through technical challenges. Caregivers are grateful for the option of receiving OT services by video, describing the process of taking their loved one to the clinic as fraught. Caregivers also expressed beliefs about the limitations of video telehealth for certain aspects of care.
CONCLUSION: Caregivers are a vital bridge between clients and the health care system, without which many older rural clients would not be able to access occupational therapy. Caregiver perceptions about the utility and benefits of video services may inform clinician decision-making around integration of video telehealth service delivery going forward.
IMPACT STATEMENT: Understanding caregivers’ experiences with and perspectives about video telehealth will enable occupational therapy practitioners to successfully partner with caregivers to increase client access to care.
References
Gately, M. E., Waller, D., Metcalf, E. E., & Moo, L. R. (2022). Occupational Therapy Practitioner Perspectives of the Role of Caregivers in Video Telehealth. Journal of gerontological nursing, 48(10), 15–20. https://doi.org/10.3928/00989134-20220908-02.
Kruse, C., et al., Utilization Barriers and Medical Outcomes Commensurate With the Use of Telehealth Among Older Adults: Systematic Review. JMIR Med Inform, 2020. 8(8): p. e20359.
Schifeling, C. H., et al., Disparities in Video and Telephone Visits Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Analysis. JMIR Aging, 2020. 3(2): p. e23176.
Heyworth, L., Kirsh, S., Zulman, D., Ferguson, J. M., Kizer, K. W., Expanding Access through Virtual Care: The VA’s Early Experience with Covid-19. New England Journal of Medicine, 2020.
