Older Adults' Perceptions About the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Their Cognitive, Emotional and Social Status: A Multicentre Mixed Methods Study in Institutions Providing Care and Supporting Services for Older Adults
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 入组人数
- 880
- 试验地点
- 58
- 主要终点
- Loneliness assessed through Loneliness Scale 3 Portuguese version (UCLA)
研究概览
简要总结
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.
详细描述
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.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Observational
- 观察模型
- Other
- 时间视角
- Cross Sectional
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 65 Years 至 —（Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 否
入选标准
- •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.
排除标准
- •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.
结局指标
主要结局
Loneliness assessed through Loneliness Scale 3 Portuguese version (UCLA)
时间窗: 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)
时间窗: 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)
时间窗: 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)
时间窗: 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)
时间窗: 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)
时间窗: 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.
次要结局
未报告次要终点