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. 2020 Aug;41(8):1977-1979.
doi: 10.1007/s10072-020-04512-4. Epub 2020 Jun 17.

Dementia care and COVID-19 pandemic: a necessary digital revolution

Luca Cuffaro  1 , Francesco Di Lorenzo  2 , Simona Bonavita  3 , Gioacchino Tedeschi  3 , Letizia Leocani  4   5 , Luigi Lavorgna  3
Affiliations

Dementia care and COVID-19 pandemic: a necessary digital revolution

Luca Cuffaro et al. Neurol Sci. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most memory clinics have had to suspend their activities. On the other hand, international dementia experts have recommended to provide urgently worldwide support for people living with dementia. This situation urges to play out new strategies to guarantee adequate care. Telemedicine and digital technology (DT) devices, such as smartphones, can be very helpful in remote monitoring and care. Technological devices such as videoconference or smartphone apps might be used for follow-up visits and support to patients and caregivers and to acquire digital markers of clinical progression. Hopefully, this dramatic situation would facilitate the process of progressive familiarization of neurologists with telemedicine and DT approach.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; COVID; Dementia; Digital technology; Telemedicine; Teleneurology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors report no disclosures relevant to the manuscript.

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