“They Can’t See Me Smile”: Communication and Relationship Challenges of Providing Home Care During a Pandemic

ABSTRACT

Providing home care to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities can be challenging in the best of times. Communication and relationships, which are both critical to the care provided by Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), were impacted significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using interpretive research methods with DSPs at a Midwestern agency, this study identifies communication and relationship challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and strategies used to manage those challenges. COVID-19 protocols like masking, cleaning procedures, and cared-for individuals’ home confinement created significant relational challenges including misunderstandings, changing routines, and fluctuating roles. DSPs also discussed how those challenges were overcome, including communication adaptation, creativity, and empathy. By examining the strategies DSPs used to negotiate the challenges and their changing roles, insight can be gained into how organizations might best support direct care workers in times of significant stress and uncertainty. This study builds on the growing scholarship exploring the impact of COVID-19 on health care communication.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• communication
• direct service providers
• residential care

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Muriel Scott

Muriel Scott (Ph.D. University at Albany) is a retired Associate Professor from the Department of Mass Communication, Winona State University, Winona, Minnesota USA. Scott is particularly interested in health and organizational communication, focusing on underserved populations and direct care providers. Her work has been published in journals such as Communication Studies, Journal of Applied Communication Research, International Journal of Communication, and Communication Quarterly.

Peggy Kendall

Peggy Kendall (Ph.D. University of Minnesota) is a Professor and Co-Chair in the Communication Studies’ Department at Bethel University in St. Paul, MN, USA. Kendall is a Fulbright scholar recipient and has focused her most recent work on topics related to elder and residential health care. She has also published research findings related to the impact of technology on communication in more popular platforms including 3 books related to faith and technology.