Health Care

The objective of this scoping review was to systematically identify the environmental factors that impacted people with disability in the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors found that the social determinants of health for people with disability were not adequately considered in the acute phase of infection prevention at the population level.

This article in Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation describes the self-reported impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). In interviews with more than 350 adults with traumatic SCI, the authors found that the COVID-19 pandemic had multiple negative impacts. Of particular importance were reduced access to healthcare and declines in quality and stability of attendant care, with greater reliance on family.

This plain-language brief summarizes a study of the very high number of deaths from COVID-19 among people receiving long-term services and supports (LTSS) who lived in nursing homes. The brief defines excess mortality and describes the studies findings, including graphics comparing mortality rates for both younger and older LTSS receipients, compared to the general population. The brief also explains why these rates may be higher, including individual factors and barriers to services and supports.

This Health Affairs datawatch article uses health plan data to calculate excess mortality rates for Medicaid home and community-based services recipients during March-December 2020. For younger recipients, excess mortality was 7.4 times  that of other community-dwelling Medicaid beneficiaries and 26.6 times that of the general population. As a proportion of expected mortality, excess mortality rates for older recipients and nursing home residents were comparable.

This article from Frontiers in Psychology explores in-depth the experiences and reflections of seven practicing therapists, on the impact of telehealth and remotely delivered physical therapy/physiotherapy (telePT) on the operationalization of relationship-based, family-centered methods into therapy. In response to the throttling of children’s therapy programs precipitated by COVID-19 shutdowns, interest in the use of telehealth has increased among service providers at both the clinical and administrative levels.

This brief describes barriers to and opportunities for telehealth for people with disabilities, as well as potential national and state policies to make telehealth more accessible, functional, and supportive beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Practice Guidelines for Creating Rural Community Outreach Materials Related to COVID-19 and Disability were developed using feedback from rural disability stakeholder groups. The practice guidelines explain the health challenges of people with disabilities living in rural areas and provide a list of recommendations for rural outreach. The recommendations include guidance and examples related to Messaging, Personal Choice and Control, Universal Public Health Guidance and Practices, and Local Voices and Values.

In this episode of the ADA Live! Podcast, Dr. Lin Hogan offers a clinical perspective on how COVID has impacted our mental health.

Journal article from Families, Systems, and Health, examines changes in family caregiver roles during the pandemic, specifically those helping people with chronic conditions and disabilities to navigate healthcare needs. Caregivers reported whether they were helping “more,” “less,” or the “same” with ten health care activities (e.g., filling prescriptions, attending medical appointments) now, compared to before the coronavirus pandemic.

This journal article seeks to understand the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the health and participation of people with mobility disabilities living in the community. The researchers surveyed 39 people with mobility disabilities on the effects of the pandemic on their health and access to health care. Results showed that many experiences were caused by lack of appropriate policies rather than the pandemic itself.