Cognitive Outcomes During COVID-19 Confinement Among Older People and Their Caregivers Using Technologies for Dementia: Protocol for an Observational Cohort Study

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has led to worldwide implementation of unprecedented restrictions to control its rapid spread and mitigate its impact. The Spanish government has enforced social distancing, quarantine, and home confinement measures. Such restrictions on activities of daily life and separation from loved ones may lead to social isolation and loneliness with health-related consequences among community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia and their caregivers. Additionally, inadequate access to health care and social support services may aggravate chronic conditions. Home-based technological interventions have emerged for combating social isolation and loneliness, while simultaneously preventing the risk of virus exposure. Objective The aim of this cohort study is to explore, analyze, and determine the impact of social isolation on (1) cognition, quality of life, mood, technophilia, and perceived stress among community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia and on the caregiver burden; (2) access to and utilization of health and social care services; and (3) cognitive, social, and entertainment-related uses of information and communication technologies. Methods This study will be conducted in Málaga (Andalucía, Spain). In total 200 dyads, consisting of a person with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia and his/her informal caregiver, will be contacted by telephone. Potential respondents will be participants of the following clinical trials: support, monitoring, and reminder technology for mild dementia (n=100) and television-based assistive integrated service to support European adults living with mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment (n=100). Results As of May 2021, a total of 153 participants have been enrolled and assessed during COVID-19 confinement, of whom 67 have been assessed at 6 months of enrollment. Changes in the mean values of the variables will be analyzed relative to baseline findings of previous studies with those during and after confinement, using repeated-measures analysis of variance or the nonparametric Friedman test, as appropriate. The performance of multivariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to introduce potential covariates will also be considered. Values of 95% CI will be used. Conclusions If our hypothesis is accepted, these findings will demonstrate the negative impact of social isolation owing to COVID-19 confinement on cognition, quality of life, mood, and perceived stress among community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia, the impact on technophilia, caregiver burden, the access to and utilization of health and social care services, and the cognitive, social, and entertainment-related use of information and communication technologies during and after COVID-19 confinement. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04385797; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04385797 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/26431

The Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Cognition and Mental Health and Technology Use Among Socially Vulnerable Older People: Retrospective Cohort Study

“…Interviews were telephone-administered to guarantee the safest means to communicate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers contacted participants by telephone, explained the study in detail, answered any questions that arose, and obtained consent from those willing to participate in the study [ 23 ].…”

The influence of COVID-19 on the older adults in Europe: A systematic literature review

“…Another research shows that digital technology has a minor effect on improving older people the mental health (Skalacka & Pajestka, 2021). The lack of contact with their loved ones negatively affects the quality of life and increases the level of stress and bad mood in older adults who have a certain level of dementia (Goodman-Casanova et al, 2021).…”

Métodos y proyectos transdigitales

“…Por ejemplo, discuten cómo los diseños de TIC no tuvieron en cuenta a las personas con discapacidad auditiva o aquellas que sufrían deterioro cognitivo. Otro estudio reveló que sólo una minoría de C mostró un mayor interés en el uso de nuevas tecnologías (Gedde et al, 2021), mientras que Goodman- Casanova et al (2021) destacaron riesgos adicionales para el bienestar de C porque sus clientes AM o familiares tenían acceso reducido a la atención médica. Los pacientes se vieron obligados en ocasiones a utilizar las TIC, eliminando la posibilidad de que los AM y los C sintieran agencia a la hora de tomar la decisión de adoptar nuevas tecnologías.…”

“…Muchos C experimentaron un aumento en la carga atribuida a las demandas de establecer nuevas tecnologías sin el apoyo adecuado (Gedde, et al, 2021). Algunos argumentaron que la falta de accesibilidad a las TIC durante la pandemia condujo a un aumento de las consecuencias negativas para la salud de los AM y sus C (Goodman- Casanova et al, 2021;Robinson et al, 2020). Mientras que otros sugirieron que, a pesar del uso de las TIC, persistieron los sentimientos de aislamiento social, lo que contribuyó aún más al deterioro cognitivo (Steinman, Perry & Perissinotto, 2020).…”