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Global Health Econ Sustain Elderly people with dementia

1. Introduction challenges entail devising ways to provide support and
requesting assistance, alongside managing various factors
The world’s social landscape underwent a dramatic change surrounding daily caregiving life. By comparing and
in 2020 with the outbreak of COVID-19, which is believed examining factors related to the care of family caregivers
to originate in Wuhan, China. The provision of home care of elderly patients with dementia at home just before the
for patients facing various difficulties and disabilities also COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, Singapore, and
underwent significant changes both before and after the
onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these shifts, the Japan – regions considered to be relatively close in terms
number of home-care patients with dementia symptoms of ideology and beliefs – this study can serve as a possible
remains consistently high, with reports indicating an guide and target for measures for family caregivers in
increase in elderly patients with dementia across all Japan post-COVID-19.
countries. This rise, along with the global impact of Family caregivers of elderly patients with dementia
COVID-19, has led to a change in perception; what was living at home face various anxieties and burdens in their
once considered an unusual event has now become an potentially prolonged caregiving lives. However, each
everyday event, and the world has entered a new phase of family member holds a unique attitude toward caregiving,
“living with COVID-19.” influenced by different conditions and circumstances.
Reports on family caregivers of older adults with Moreover, caregiving perspectives differ greatly depending
dementia just before the COVID-19 pandemic have mainly on the individual caregiver, the problematic behaviors
focused on specific countries such as China (Wang et al., and cognitive symptoms of the elderly, and cultural and
2017), Malaysia (Chan et al., 2018), and Japan. However, regional characteristics.
there are no reports that simultaneously focus on Hong Given that the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted social
Kong, Singapore, and Japan, highlighting a gap in the services (Giebel et al., 2021), it is necessary to elucidate the
existing research. various responses of family caregivers of elderly patients
The world has become increasingly globalized, with dementia during the pandemic. These responses may
facilitating operations across national borders. In this include experiencing a loss of social skills, transitioning to
interconnected era, where distances seem shorter, a study feelings of loneliness, and acquiring new coping strategies.
focused on dementia patients in nine Asian countries, Therefore, we initiated a comparative study among family
including Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan, stands out. caregivers in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan regarding
In the study, Yang et al. (2016) adopted a dualistic view the family perceptions of home caregivers, especially
of developing and developed countries and advanced focusing on those caring for elderly patients with dementia
the trend of research activity in developing countries. In symptoms. The study was conducted just before the
addition, an analysis of the relationship between dementia major social changes caused by COVID-19. The aim was
symptoms and gender in five Asian countries, including to identify clues for intervention in each country post-
China (excluding Hong Kong), Singapore, and Japan, COVID-19.
found that women were more frequently affected in Japan
and had difficulty with complex household tasks (Yang Our specific research question was as follows: Are
et al., 2017). Furthermore, a comparative study of socio- there differences in the daily activities and problem
behavioral factors related to dementia problems in Taiwan behaviors of elderly patients with dementia at home in
and South Korea reported that social support reduced the Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan immediately before
negative effects of dementia in both countries (Hsieh et al., the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the care support, care
2020). burden, and care satisfaction of their family caregivers,
depending on the country of residence? The study aimed
From its original British sensibilities, Hong Kong has to clarify the status of dementia-like symptoms and
transformed into an Asian-oriented city, characterized family caregivers’ care for elderly patients with dementia
by a unique social situation. Similarly, Singapore has at home in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan just before
experienced remarkable development, particularly in its COVID-19.
economy, and has undergone significant demographic
shifts, marked by a rapid increase in life expectancy The hypothesis posits that Hong Kong and Japan, with
and a decline in the total fertility rate special births. similar institutional frameworks and a shared sense of
In addition to these developments, family caregivers respect for the elderly, will exhibit comparable caregiving
of elderly patients with dementia are facing new situations, while Singapore, characterized by rapid
challenges in the era of “living with COVID,” including economic development and westernization, will present a
unique ideas, arguments, cultures, and beliefs. These unique caregiving situation.

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2024) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.1954