(1) Background: Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) have been harmed by the coronavirus, and older adults have remained isolated for a long time with many restrictions. The aim of this study was to measure the decline in cognitive, functional, and affective status in a care facility after the lockdown in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare it with previous measures in order to determine if this decline was accelerated. (2) Methods: Ninety-eight participants were recruited. Data from three retrospective pre-lockdown assessments and an additional post-lockdown assessment were analyzed. Mixed ANOVA analyses were performed according to the Clinical Dementia Rating levels, considering social-contact frequency during the lockdown as a covariate. (3) Results: The cognitive and functional scores were lower and depression scores were higher after the strict lockdown, accelerating a general pattern of decline that was already present in LTCF residents. The frequency of social contact eliminated the measurement differences in the cognitive and functional scores and the group differences in depression scores. (4) Conclusions: The effects of the SARS-CoV-2 lockdown in an LTCF were mediated by the frequency of contact. Clinical implications: Preventive measures must be taken to ensure social contact with relatives and friends and reduce the negative consequences of social isolation in LTCFs.
This pilot study aims to analyze the effectiveness of a type of non-pharmacological intervention such as the educating and training of professional caregivers on behavioral alterations and prescription of psychotropic drugs of older adults in nursing homes. One hundred and forty-five people from two nursing homes were randomized to either treatment (educational training program for healthcare professionals) or a no-treatment group. Twenty-two professional caregivers in the experimental group received 20 h of a training program. Five data collection points were collected (pre and post, and three follow-ups, all six months apart). Intervention consisted of the behavioral alterations and psychopharmacological treatment. The analysis of variance for repeated measures showed significant differences in the time-group interaction for the educational program’s effectiveness in reducing behavior alterations and psycho-pharmaceuticals’ record. The results show that an improvement in the educating and training of professional caregivers can reduce behavioral alterations (F3,407 = 9.29, p < 0.001, η2= 0.063) and prescription of psychotropic drugs (F2,10 = 18.90, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.117). In addition, these effects are maintained over time. Educating health professionals on ways to care for residents who present behavioral alterations may be one alternative for improving the quality of care that residents receive. Non-pharmacological interventions, besides being individualized and adapted to the needs and experiences of individuals, achieve effects that last longer at low cost. An educational program shows new alternatives to pharmacological intervention, achieving a reduction in behavioral alterations without the costs and effects that psychopharmaceuticals entail.
Objectives: To analyze the impacts of the restrictions implemented in LTCF during the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological and functional status of older adults.Design: A retrospective multicentre study. We hypothesize that the negative effects of the restrictions will lead to a higher rate of decline between the measures taken immediately before and after the lockdown than between the two measures taken before the lockdown.Setting and participants: 365 participants recruited in four Spanish LTCFs in Galicia and Valencia.Methods: Impacts of restrictions on cognitive (MMSE), affective (GDS) and functional status (Barthel index, Tinetti) were analyzed by Linear Mixed Models with random intercepts, random slopes, and personal and contextual factors as covariates.Results: Social measures covaried significantly with the cognitive and functional status but did not predict longitudinal change. MMSE, Barthel index and Tinetti scores decreased significantly across pre-and post-lockdown measurement times, but only the Tinetti scores showed a specific impact of the restrictions.Conclusions and Implications: Only performance-based functional measures showed the real impact of restrictions. The findings highlight the importance of having data from several pre-lockdown measurements to enable identification of changes that can be causally attributed to the restrictions. The findings also support the resilience of older adults in mitigating the effect of the restrictions.
En el ámbito educativo se han puesto en marcha proyectos intergeneracionales, pero pocos de ellos con personas mayores institucionalizadas. Se diseñó un proyecto de apadrinamiento lector que, conservando como eje central la transmisión de conocimientos literarios, posibilitase una integración participativa e inclusiva de las personas mayores para poner en valor las historias de vida y los libros que les han marcado. Este trabajo se propuso aumentar la motivación y el hábito lector al establecer un diálogo sobre literatura clásica entre personas de distintas generaciones a partir de un apadrinamiento lector. Con ello, se pretendió aumentar la autoestima, la afectividad positiva y disminuir el afecto negativo y sintomatología depresiva de las personas mayores participantes. La intervención duró seis meses con sesiones semanales y contó con 27 alumnos y 17 personas mayores institucionalizadas. La evaluación fue cuantitativa y cualitativa con cuestionarios en fase pre-test y post-test y entrevistas semiestructuradas al finalizar. Se obtuvieron resultados significativamente positivos en todas las áreas evaluadas con lo que se concluyó que los proyectos intergeneracionales benefician a todos los participantes. El aprendizaje y el diálogo sobre las obras literarias atemporales puede motivar a la lectura, aportar bienestar y valores positivos a ambas generaciones.
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