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The impact of COVID‐19 on the social inclusion of older adults with an intellectual disability during the first wave of the pandemic in Ireland
Author(s) -
McCausland D.,
Luus R.,
McCallion P.,
Murphy E.,
McCarron M.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of intellectual disability research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.941
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1365-2788
pISSN - 0964-2633
DOI - 10.1111/jir.12862
Subject(s) - pandemic , covid-19 , social contact , longitudinal study , social distance , inclusion (mineral) , psychology , disadvantage , gerontology , medicine , developmental psychology , political science , social psychology , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law
Background Social restrictions and service closures from COVID‐19 have negatively impacted social inclusion and well‐being for some people with intellectual disabilities (IDs). Methods The fourth wave of a national longitudinal study on ageing in people with ID in Ireland was interrupted during the COVID‐19 outbreak. Social inclusion data for pre‐existing participants interviewed before COVID‐19 ( n = 444) were compared with data for pre‐existing participants interviewed during/after lockdown ( n = 62). Results More people interviewed after lockdown reported frequent family contact. Significantly greater numbers in the post‐lockdown group reported access to and use of technology than the pre‐lockdown group. Technology use was higher among those living in grouped residences supported by services compared with individuals living independently or with family. Conclusions During the early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Ireland, many older adults with ID stayed connected with family and reported rates of contact higher than were reported by others before COVID‐19. This connection may have been supported by a significant increase in technology use during the pandemic. However, uneven use of technology may disadvantage some including individuals living with family or independently. Given that COVID‐19 restrictions are likely to continue to restrict social opportunities, increased digital support may assist more people with ID to use technology to maintain their social connections.