COVID-19 lockdown impact on dementia patients’ and carers’ wellbeing [COVID-19]
Research type
Research Study
Full title
SOcial LImitations Turn Up DEmentia (SOLITUDE): Impact of COVID-19 social isolation on patients’ cognition and mental health and on carers’ wellbeing
IRAS ID
283789
Contact name
Annalena Venneri
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Research Summary
Mental abilities like remembering or orientation in the environment are particularly affected in people with dementia. Some also experience agitation, anxiety and depression. These problems are even more visible in patients who live in isolation. In fact, social isolation is linked to worse prognosis in people with dementia.\nWe expect that social isolation due to the COVID-19 emergency will cause worsening of symptoms in people with dementia and have negative effects on their mental health. In turn, these negative effects will also affect carers’ quality of life and wellbeing.\nDisruption of daily routine may cause confusion and insecurity and may thus worsen the symptoms of dementia. The current restrictions introduced in response to the spread of coronavirus are causing huge changes in the lives of people with dementia and their carers.\nTo study this, we will invite people with dementia and their carers to complete three interviews over the phone, during the course of 6 months.\nThis study will allow us to identify individuals who may be more deeply affected by social isolation. It will also help us describe the relationship between social isolation and worsening of symptoms. Such findings will allow us to improve care delivery and inform prevention.
Summary of Results
In the preliminary phase of the study, we reviewed the available publications and the findings indicated that the COVID-19 infection can cause brain damage and that social isolation can lead to behavioural problems (e.g. depression) in older people with and without dementia.
In our study, the interview with carers showed that about 44% of them experienced anxiety and irritability. The majority of carers also reported changes in behavioural and memory problems in people with dementia. These changes were associated with worse carers’ mental health and concerns about faster disease progression in patients.
Additionally, over the 6 months of observations in our study, people with dementia showed no significant decline in either cognitive abilities or mental health. However, the length of time spent in social isolation before the first assessment was negatively correlated with memory performance. Moreover, carers reporting worsening of behavioural symptoms and faster disease progression in patients also reported higher burden. Finally, carer-reported worsening of cognitive symptoms predicted poorer memory performance in patients at first assessment, thus showing an agreement between carers’ observations and clinical assessement.REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/NW/0305
Date of REC Opinion
10 Jul 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion