Losing Ground during COVID-19: Dementia Caregivers’ Shifting Perceptions of Place

Abstract

In the wake of COVID-19, Canadian federal and provincial governments implemented gathering restrictions to prevent or limit its spread. These restrictions significantly impacted where Canadians spend their time, how they do so and with whom. Prior to the pandemic, people living with dementia (PLWD) and the family members, friends, and neighbours who support their care already encountered physical, health, and social challenges relating to participation in private and public places. Under pandemic conditions, these challenges were magnified and contributed to differences in the ways community was understood and practiced. A rapid research project in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, exploring COVID-19-related changes to community-based dementia care supports and services highlighted changes toward places of residence, public places, and virtual settings through interviews with unpaid caregivers of PLWD. Findings demonstrated a shift in activities and experiences associated with places during COVID-19 restrictions and lockdown measures. From what home means to community places and virtual places, this article considers the ways in which COVID-19 restrictions and measures are redefining the meanings and significance of places for unpaid caregivers of PLWD in the province of Nova Scotia in Atlantic Canada.