Lockdown isolation is causing “shocking levels of decline for people with dementia, who are rapidly losing memory, speech, and ability to dress and feed themselves” concludes an Alzheimer’s Society investigation carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the investigation, which involved almost 2,000 respondents affected by dementia, were published on 30 July 2020. They show that, since the beginning of lockdown, more than 4 in 5 (82%) report a deterioration in their own symptoms/ the symptoms of the person they are caring for. Of those who had seen a decline, around half reported increased memory loss (50%) and difficulty concentrating (48%). More than 1 in 4 (27%) said reading and writing had become more difficult, and 1 in 3 reported the same for speaking and understanding speech (33%). “Worryingly, more than a quarter had seen a loss in the ability to do daily tasks, like cooking or dressing”, writes Alzheimer’s Society.
“The coronavirus pandemic has hit people with dementia the hardest, both in terms of deaths from the virus itself, and from a huge increase in “unexplained” non-virus-related deaths, totalling over 13,000 additional deaths between March and June. The knock-on effect of lockdown is interruptions and suspensions to health and social care services, upended routines, care home visitor restrictions and a prolonged period of social isolation for people with dementia”. The findings confirm what the charity has heard since March through its Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Connect support line, with symptom deterioration second only to mental health impact as the most common reason for calling. With almost a third (29%) of people with dementia also reporting that the pandemic has had a negative effect on other aspects of their physical health or underlying conditions, the charity fears a further tragic loss of life, especially in the event of a second coronavirus wave over winter.
Alzheimer’s Society has joined forces with a coalition of the leading UK dementia charities, One Dementia Voice, to demand designated family carers are prioritised for safe, regular testing, just like Key Workers, and are seen as equal partners in care, so they can visit loved ones with dementia in care homes. The coalition is very concerned that the Government has handed over responsibility for allowing visits to overstretched local decision-makers, raising the possibility of a “postcode lottery” in access. “The Government must ensure that it’s understood that family carers are an integral part of the care system and when removed, the essential care and wellbeing of the individual suffers.”
You can read the full report on this investigation, here:
