Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.
1st Department of Neurology, Eginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2021 Apr;36(4):583-587. doi: 10.1002/gps.5457. Epub 2020 Nov 13.
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first detected in Mainland China in December 2019, and soon it spread throughout the world, with multiple physical and psychological consequences across the affected populations.
The aim of the current study was to analyze the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI)/dementia and their caregivers as well.
Two hundred and four caregivers took part in the study, completing a self-reported questionnaire about the person with MCI/dementia and their own, since the lockdown period which started in February and ended in May of 2020 in Greece.
Results indicated a significant overall decline of the people with MCI/dementia. Further, the domains in which people with MCI/dementia were mostly affected were: communication, mood, movement and compliance with the new measures. Caregivers also reported a great increase in their psychological and physical burden during this period, where the available support sources were limited.
The pandemic threatens to disrupt the basic routines that promote mental and physical health of both people with MCI/dementia and t heir caregivers.
Further measures to protect and provide support to people who suffer and their families are needed.
新型冠状病毒病（COVID-19）于 2019 年 12 月在中国内地首次被发现，随后迅速蔓延至全球，受影响人群遭受了多种身心后果。
本研究旨在分析 COVID-19 大流行对轻度认知障碍（MCI）/痴呆老年人及其照顾者的影响。
204 名照顾者参加了这项研究，他们自 2020 年 2 月至 5 月希腊开始封锁以来，完成了一份关于 MCI/痴呆患者及其自身的自我报告问卷。
结果表明，MCI/痴呆患者的整体状况明显下降。此外，MCI/痴呆患者受影响最大的领域是：沟通、情绪、运动以及对新措施的遵守。在此期间，由于可用的支持资源有限，照顾者的心理和身体负担也大大增加。
大流行有可能扰乱促进 MCI/痴呆患者及其照顾者身心健康的基本日常生活。
需要采取进一步措施保护和支持患者及其家属。
