Life in lockdown: Social isolation, loneliness and quality of life in the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review.
Kadriye Sayin Kasar, Emine Karaman
PMID 33824008WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults reported increased loneliness and lower quality of life during pandemic restrictions, especially those living alone.
The review mapped assessment and phone or online contact suggestions, but these were expert recommendations, not tested interventions.
Key findings
01Seven studies were included: three descriptive and cross-sectional studies, one quasi-experimental study, one pre-post pilot program, one editorial, and one correspondence.
02Older adults reported increased loneliness during pandemic restrictions, especially those living alone, and the review concluded that loneliness and quality of life were negatively affected.
03The review mapped suggestions for quick evaluation of loneliness and social isolation, including the ALONE scale, and for more frequent phone or online contact.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 7 studies were included, and 2 were editorial or correspondence pieces rather than patient data. The optional consultation exercise was not conducted. The search was limited to English articles published from December 2019 to March 2021, and preprints were excluded. The quasi-experimental study had 64 participants, and the pilot program had 115 graduate students, so the review does not establish that any intervention works. Many recommendations came from expert opinions and descriptive studies.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and said the research received no specific grant from public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the phone, video, Quran, or exercise suggestions as proven treatments. The review did not test these interventions; the included studies were 3 descriptive studies, 2 opinion pieces, 1 pilot program, and 1 quasi-experimental study with 64 participants.