Disabled People and COVID-19 : A MEMO Quebec Survey

An in-house survey of 901 members of Moelle épinière et motricité Québec (MÉMO-Qc) related to the COVID-19 pandemic reveals that 30% of respondents have experienced deterioration in their access to health care and social services, 22 % feel less secure, 90% are supported by their loved ones and 23% feel distressed or stressed.

Among the 30% who said they had experienced a deterioration in access to health care and social services, 4% even said they had perceived a very significant deterioration. 60% of all respondents did not notice any change. “We cannot ignore the complexity behind the issue of access to health care and social services, that is to say the existence of gaps in the availability of services from the health network well before the start of the pandemic, says Walter Zelaya, the director general of MÉMO-Qc. The absence of change does not mean a satisfactory health and social services system. ”

Note that 30% of complete tetraplegics feel less secure than before the pandemic, while for all respondents this percentage is 22%. For her part, Virginie Archambault, research and liaison officer at MÉMO-Qc suggests that “the greater home support needs associated with complete tetraplegia could explain this higher percentage, in particular due to the fear of transmission of the disease. COVID-19 by care workers. ”

MEMO Qc also wanted to probe the contribution of those around people with disabilities. In this regard, respondents stress the importance of the presence of their spouse, children, friends and even their neighbors on their well-being, particularly in the context of a pandemic. 90% said they had the support of their loved ones. When we asked people with motor and neurological limitations to rate their mental and physical health, 23% of respondents said they felt stressed or distressed and 59% of respondents rated their physical condition as “very good” or ” well “.

This online and telephone survey consisting of 10 questions was conducted from April 6 to 28, 2020 with 841 people with spinal cord injury living in Quebec and 60 others with other motor or neurological limitations.