How did the Sudden Closures of Adult Day Services During COVID-19 Impact Dementia Care Dyads?

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted daily routines across all age groups. However, the impact of the enforced closures of Adult Day Services (ADS) on dementia care dyads has received limited qualitative attention. To address this gap, data from a National Institute of Health (NIH) study (<i>N</i> = 43) were analyzed to explore how COVID-19 impacted community-dwelling persons with dementia and their caregivers. Analyses were conducted on the subsample of caregivers (<i>n</i> = 13) who supported a community-dwelling person with dementia who attended an ADS program at the onset of COVID-19. Findings indicate four central themes: (a) struggle to meet the needs of the person with dementia, (b) physical and cognitive decline of the person with dementia, (c) lack of time for self-care, and (d) adaptations by ADS and caregivers. This study posits that the mandated closure of ADS sites due to COVID-19 exacerbated both caregiving burden and deterioration in individuals with dementia.