Older Adults' Perceptions of the Impact COVID-19 Pandemic

Completed

• Conditions: COVID-19 Pandemic; Depression, Anxiety; Cognitive Impairment; Quality of Life; Loneliness
• Interventions: Other: Impact COVID-19 pandemic

• Registration Number: NCT05379426
• Lead Sponsor: Rsocialform - Geriatria, Lda

Brief Summary

This multicentre study will be conduct in several Portuguese institutions, which provide care and supporting services for older adults, with aim to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the cognitive, emotional and social status of their beneficiaries. Initially, data on global cognitive function, executive function, mood, anxiety, loneliness, and quality of life will be collected. Secondly, a semi-structured interview will be carried out to realize and understand what were the major difficulties experienced by the older adult during the pandemic period.

Detailed Description

The pandemic COVID-19 imposed the mobilisation of institutions providing care and supporting services for older adults, and the adoption of new habits on a large scale and in a very short period of time. The need to change daily routines proved to be particularly impactful among older adults, since these citizens, due to their vulnerability to adverse health outcomes and the need for additional protection against the exposure to the risk of viral infection, were subjected to more demanding and inflexible containment measures (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2020). The confinement measures resulted in considerable restriction of independence and access to supportive social networks, making it necessary to use compensatory solutions, such as the use of digital technologies and the resolution of emerging problems remotely. However, given that, as suggested by recent statistical data (European Commission, 2020; European Union, 2020), a large proportion of older adults do not have access to suitable equipment or lack adequate digital skills, the effective and satisfactory mobilisation of these compensatory solutions depended, in many cases, on the involvement of others. As a result, older adults saw their personal autonomy compromised and their relationships with other people highly limited. The confinement measures also resulted in the abandonment of at least some healthy living habits (moments of conviviality, cognitive stimulation activities, physical exercise and recreational activities carried out in groups, etc.), which are essential for the maintenance of physical and cognitive capacities, contributing to the increase of well-being and quality of life.

Taking into account the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to understand its impact on the cognitive, emotional, and social status of older adults. Our proposal focuses on older adults who benefit from care and support services (e.g., long-term care centres, day and social centres, home support services), in which the pandemic mitigation measures were particularly rigorous, being supported by contingency plans constantly updated according to the guidelines issued by the Portuguese Directorate-General of Health and supervisory entities.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2022-05-17
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-05-17
• Study First Posted: 2022-05-18
• Study Start: 2022-06-01
• Status Verified: 2022-07
• Primary Completion: 2022-07-31
• Study Completion: 2022-07-31
• Last Update Submitted: 2022-07-31
• Last Update Posted: 2022-08-02

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 880

Inclusion Criteria

• Aged 65 or over.
• Native Portuguese speakers.
• Have handed in the project informed consent, duly completed and signed, after prior information.
• Communication and comprehension skills.
• Have been attending a care and support services for the older adults for at least two years.

Exclusion Criteria

• Severe sensory and physical limitations or an acute or serious illness preventing participation in the study.
• Evidence of aggressive and disruptive behaviour, as indicated by the reference technicians of the institution where the participant attends a care and support services.
• Consumption of psychoactive substances and/or taking neuroleptics or antipsychotics in the last two months.
• Presence of a score lower than 10 points in the Mini Mental State Examination.

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Screening tests and semi-structured interview	Impact COVID-19 pandemic	Battery of screening tests with semi-structured interview First, the Mini-Mental State Examination will be administered to participants to assess whether they meet the inclusion criteria and an identification code will be assigned to eligible participants. Posteriorly, a clinical psychologist will administer the Frontal Assessment Battery, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, Geriatric Anxiety Inventory, Loneliness Scale 3 Portuguese version, Quality of Life - Alzheimer's Disease, and will conduct a semi-structured interview about the difficulties experienced by the older adult during the pandemic period.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Loneliness assessed through Loneliness Scale 3 Portuguese version (UCLA)	baseline	UCLA is composed of 20 items. Each item is answered according to a Likert scale from 1 (never) to 4 (always). Items 1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 15, 16, 19 and 20 are inverse-scored. Scores range from 20 to 80 points. Higher scores indicate a higher level of loneliness or perceived social isolation.
Quality of life assessed through Quality of Life - Alzheimer's Disease (QoL-AD)	baseline	The QoL-AD is used to assess quality of life. This 13-item scale assesses the quality of life in people diagnosed with dementia, gathering information from the patient about the following domains: perceived health, mood, physical condition, interpersonal relationships, hobbies, decision-making skills, and life as a whole. Scores range from 13 to 52, with higher scores indicating better quality of life.
Executive functions assessed through Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB)	baseline	FAB assesses executive functions such as abstract thinking, mental flexibility, motor programming, interference sensibility, inhibitory control and environmental independence. Scores range between 0 - 18 points. Higher scores indicate better cognitive function.
Depressive symptomatology assessed through the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)	baseline	This instrument assesses depressive symptoms based on 20 statements classified on the frequency scale, with reference to the week prior to the assessment. Scores range between 0 and 60 points. Higher scores indicate more severe depressive symptoms.
Cognitive functioning assessed through Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)	baseline	Cognitive functioning will be assessed using the MMSE, which is a gold standard for assessing global cognitive function. Scores range from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating better cognitive functioning.
Anxiety symptomatology assessed through the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI)	baseline	GAI assesses, in several contexts, the severity of anxiety symptoms in older adults. It consists of 20 dichotomous response items (I agree/disagree) and refers to the subject's feelings in the week prior to the evaluation. One (1) point is assigned to each agree answer and the overall score is obtained by adding the scores of all items. Scores over 10/11 points indicate symptoms of severe anxiety.

Trial Locations

Locations (58)

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Albergaria-a-Velha; 🇵🇹 Albergaria-a-Velha, Aveiro, Portugal

Cediara - Associação de Solidariedade Social de Ribeira de Fráguas; 🇵🇹 Albergaria-a-Velha, Aveiro, Portugal

ASCRA - Associação Social, Cultural e Recreativa de Apúlia; 🇵🇹 Apúlia, Braga, Portugal

Centro Social Paroquial São Mamede; 🇵🇹 Lisboa, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Castelo Branco; 🇵🇹 Castelo Branco, Portugal

Centro Social Paroquial da Ilha - Obra Social da Sagrada Família; 🇵🇹 Leiria, Portugal

Associação de Solidariedade Social S. Tiago de Rebordões; 🇵🇹 Porto, Portugal

Lar Recolhimento Jesus Maria José - Mónicas; 🇵🇹 Angra Do Heroísmo, Açores, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia da Horta; 🇵🇹 Horta, Açores, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Vila do Porto; 🇵🇹 Vila do Porto, Açores, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Angra do Heroísmo; 🇵🇹 Angra Do Heroísmo, Açores, Portugal

Lar D. Pedro V; 🇵🇹 Praia Da Vitória, Açores, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Montemor-o-Novo; 🇵🇹 Montemor-o-Novo, Évora, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia da Calheta; 🇵🇹 Calheta, Açores, Portugal

Centro Comunitário de São Brás; 🇵🇹 Praia Da Vitória, Açores, Portugal

Casa de Repouso João Inácio de Sousa; 🇵🇹 Velas, Açores, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Mértola; 🇵🇹 Mértola, Beja, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Mirandela; 🇵🇹 Mirandela, Bragança, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Barcelos; 🇵🇹 Barcelos, Braga, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Vila Velha de Rodão; 🇵🇹 Vila Velha de Rodão, Castelo Branco, Portugal

Centro Social da Paróquia de Vieira do Minho; 🇵🇹 Vieira do Minho, Braga, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia da Lousã; 🇵🇹 Lousã, Coimbra, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Portimão; 🇵🇹 Portimão, Faro, Portugal

Associação dos Amigos de Peva; 🇵🇹 Peva, Guarda, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Alvaiázere; 🇵🇹 Alvaiázere, Leiria, Portugal

Associação do Hospital Civil e Misericórdia de Alhandra; 🇵🇹 Alhandra, Lisboa, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Alcobaça; 🇵🇹 Alcobaça, Leiria, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Alvorge; 🇵🇹 Alvorge, Leiria, Portugal

Centro Social e Paroquial Alcabideche; 🇵🇹 Alcabideche, Lisboa, Portugal

APOIARTE - Associação de Apoio aos Artistas; 🇵🇹 Carnide, Lisboa, Portugal

Centro Social Paroquial de Oeiras; 🇵🇹 Oeiras, Lisboa, Portugal

Associação de Socorros da Freguesia de Turcifal; 🇵🇹 Torres Vedras, Lisboa, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Avis; 🇵🇹 Avis, Portalegre, Portugal

Associação de Desenvolvimento Comunitário do Funchal - Garouta do Calhau; 🇵🇹 Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Arez; 🇵🇹 Arez, Portalegre, Portugal

Lar Júlio Alcântara Botelho; 🇵🇹 Elvas, Portalegre, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Rio Maior; 🇵🇹 Rio Maior, Santarém, Portugal

Lar e Centro de Dia Padre Américo; 🇵🇹 Penafiel, Porto, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Caminha; 🇵🇹 Caminha, Viana Do Castelo, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia da Trofa; 🇵🇹 Trofa, Porto, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Ponte de Lima; 🇵🇹 Ponte de Lima, Viana Do Castelo, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Tarouca; 🇵🇹 Tarouca, Viseu, Portugal

A.S.S.F.A.; 🇵🇹 Abraveses, Viseu, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Vila Nova de Cerveira; 🇵🇹 Vila Nova de Cerveira, Viana Do Castelo, Portugal

Fundação Casa do Pessoal da Segurança Social e Saúde do Distrito de Aveiro; 🇵🇹 Aveiro, Portugal

Obra Social Padre Miguel; 🇵🇹 Bragança, Portugal

Associação Grupo Desportivo e Social Penso Santo Estevão; 🇵🇹 Braga, Portugal

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Vouzela; 🇵🇹 Vouzela, Viseu, Portugal

Centro Zulmira Pereira Simões; 🇵🇹 Braga, Portugal

Residência Sénior D. António; 🇵🇹 Castelo Branco, Portugal

Centro Social Rocha Barros; 🇵🇹 Coimbra, Portugal

Fundação João Bento Raimundo; 🇵🇹 Guarda, Portugal

Associação Casapiana de Solidariedade; 🇵🇹 Lisboa, Portugal

Centro Social Paroquial de Oliveira do Douro; 🇵🇹 Porto, Portugal

Centro Comunitário e Paroquial da Ramada; 🇵🇹 Lisboa, Portugal

Fundação AFID Diferença; 🇵🇹 Lisboa, Portugal

Centro Social e Cultural de Carreço; 🇵🇹 Viana Do Castelo, Portugal

Centro Social Paroquial de Mateus; 🇵🇹 Vila Real, Portugal