New study reveals most common reasons for vaccine-hesitancy among seniors’ caregivers, including concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine
Caring.com, a leading senior living referral service and the nation’s top site for senior care reviews, has published results from a survey that examines vaccine-hesitancy among private and professional caregivers of seniors. The study highlights responses from 2,000 caregivers about their vaccination status, plans for vaccination in the future, reasons for remaining unvaccinated, and planned responses to vaccine mandates.
Survey findings indicate that only 50 percent of seniors’ caregivers are fully vaccinated, and more than 20 percent have not started the process. Fifty-four percent of unvaccinated caregivers also cited that they would not get vaccinated despite a risk of getting fired or furloughed. Only 23 percent of unvaccinated caregivers say they would be willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine if required by their employer. These responses are especially worrisome given that seniors are a high risk group.
The top reasons that seniors’ caregivers give for remaining unvaccinated are concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine. Approximately 29 percent of respondents don’t believe that the shot is safe, and more than 21 percent aren’t sure that it’s effective. Additionally, 15 percent of caregivers believe they don’t need the vaccine or still have antibodies from contracting the virus.
“What we’ve learned from this study is that there is a worrying number of vaccine-hesitant caregivers,” says Jim Rosenthal, Caring.com’s CEO. “While employer and government mandates may be effective in convincing some caregivers to get vaccinated, the current data suggests continued work is needed to educate caregivers about the safety and necessity of vaccines. We are hopeful that the just-announced FDA full approval of the Pfizer vaccine will drive more people to get vaccinated.”
Data from the study also shows that unvaccinated caregivers are more likely to ignore COVID-19 safety protocols, such as masking and social distancing. Seventeen percent of unvaccinated respondents said they do not practice any common precautions against the virus. In contrast, only seven percent of vaccinated caregivers fail to follow safety guidelines.
Caring.com conducted this survey from August 9-11, 2021, in partnership with Pollfish – an online survey platform. The organization surveyed 1,000 private caregivers and 1,000 professional caregivers to gauge their attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccine mandates and safety protocols. To access the complete report, please visit caring.com/caregivers/covid-vaccine-hesitancy-survey.
ABOUT CARING.COM
With millions of website visitors, Caring.com is a leading senior care referral service and the nation’s top site for senior care reviews. Founded in 2007, Caring’s mission is to help as many seniors and their caregivers as possible through empathetic, expert guidance. Applying cutting-edge technology to this humane mission, Caring provides relevant senior care information and support, as well as comprehensive senior living and senior care directories for the United States with hundreds of thousands of consumer reviews of senior living and in-home care providers. Through a toll-free line at (866) 334-5804, Caring’s empathetic, nationwide team of Family Advisors — who are among the most highly trained, highly skilled, and knowledgeable experts in senior care — help families and seniors research and connect to the most appropriate services and support for their specific situations. For more information about our organization and our free services for seniors and their families, please visit https://www.caring.com/about/ and join with Caring on Facebook.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
