Long Covid sufferers need tailored support for a condition that continually moves the goalposts, according to Christine Husbands, managing director at RedArc Nurses.
Husbands warns long Covid is not a static condition and can cause a range of around 50 changing neurological, psychiatric and physical symptoms.
Many areas of the body can be affected such as respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological systems causing symptoms such as breathlessness, muscle or joint pain, headaches, fatigue, digestive issues, anxiety and vertigo.
Husbands warns this can be further complicated as individual symptoms can improve and relapse, causing some people to feel that they are suddenly unable to cope.
Tailored support needed early
Consequently, Husbands warns it is vital that people get the right support as early as possible or symptoms could be more prolonged.
“One of the main issues with long Covid is that the goalposts keep shifting. Sufferers can feel quite in control on one day and then a change in the type or severity of symptoms can mean a huge step backwards on another.
“This has huge implications for treatment and support: sufferers need to be treated as individuals as the symptoms vary so much from person to person – a one-size-fits-all approach simply won’t address the very personal nature of the illness, and second, the support needs to be agile and adapt to the individual’s condition as it evolves.
“Support that is too generic however, won’t cut it for long Covid as everyone is so different, the symptoms are so wide ranging and interlinked, which is why it’s important that support is personalised.”
And Husbands added concerns that the mental strain of experiencing a slow and drawn-out recovery from Covid-19 may also take its toll.
She noted that individuals struggle mentally when they are not able to live their lives as fully as they once could, particularly when there is no real end date in sight.
“In addition, in terms of Covid-19 and long Covid, we’re not only dealing with the mental health impact of the condition itself but also the fact that people have been coping in isolation or with very little social contact which can exacerbate the impact on mental health,” she said.
