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Observational Study
. 2022 Oct;22(10):832-838.
doi: 10.1111/ggi.14465. Epub 2022 Sep 6.

Long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on facility- and home-dwelling people with dementia: Perspectives from professionals involved in dementia care

Kana Kazawa  1 , Tatsuhiko Kubo  2 , Masahiro Akishita  3 , Shinya Ishii  1
Affiliations
Observational Study

Long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on facility- and home-dwelling people with dementia: Perspectives from professionals involved in dementia care

Kana Kazawa et al. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2022 Oct.

Abstract

Aim: The present study aimed to investigate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on facility- and home-dwelling people with dementia (PWD).

Methods: This observational study included two anonymous online survey questionnaires to explore the impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan and the long-term impact during the 2 years from the onset of the pandemic. The participants were medical and long-term care facilities representatives for older people (945 facilities in the first survey, 686 in the second), and care managers (751 in the first survey, 241 in the second). A χ2 -test was carried out between the two surveys.

Results: For facility-dwelling PWD, activities that stimulate cognitive and physical functioning increased significantly compared with the first wave of the pandemic (P < 0.05). Also, a decline in cognitive and walking functions and falls increased in the second survey compared with the first (P < 0.01). For home-dwelling PWD, the broader impact of the pandemic on support for activities of daily living, social interaction and provision of medical care did not mitigate. The high prevalence of cognitive and physical functional decline in the first survey was similar in the second.

Conclusions: The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic produced changes in the lives of home- and facility-dwelling PWD, with widespread negative consequences for them. Our findings are useful to consider preventive supports to mitigate or avoid functional decline and symptom exacerbation in PWD due to changes in their living environment and the care they receive in the COVID-19 era. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; 22: 832-838.

Keywords: COVID-19; community; dementia; long-term care.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on facility‐dwelling people with dementia.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on home‐dwelling people with dementia.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Changes in the conditions of facility‐dwelling people with dementia during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. ADL, activities of daily living; BPSD, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Changes in the conditions of home‐dwelling people with dementia coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. ADL, activities of daily living; BPSD, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on the families of home‐dwelling people with dementia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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