The Adverse Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nursing Home Resident Well-Being.
Michael Levere, Patricia Rowan, Andrea Wysocki
PMID 33861980WHAT IT FOUND
Nursing home residents' depression, unplanned weight loss, cognitive scores and incontinence worsened during the pandemic.
Pressure ulcers and activities of daily living scores did not change. Some worsening occurred even in residents who never tested positive.
Key findings
01The share of residents with any depressive symptoms increased by about 6 percentage points in mid-April to mid-May, a 15% relative increase from about 45% before the outbreak.
02The share with unplanned substantial weight loss rose by 6 percentage points in June and July, a 150% relative increase from early March.
03Cognitive function scores temporarily worsened by 0.11 points, a 5% increase from 2.31 points, and were no longer different by mid-May.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study cannot prove why outcomes worsened; infection, visitor restrictions, staffing shortages, fear and other pandemic factors are not separated. More residents left or died in 2020 than in prior years, and residents who died may be missing from assessments, so estimates could underestimate total impact. The data cover Connecticut long-stay nursing home residents through July 31, 2020, so they may not apply to other places or later pandemic periods. Depressive symptoms were sometimes based on staff observation rather than resident self-report. The analysis used routine assessments and statistical controls rather than randomization, so some selection bias may remain.
Declared interests
No author conflict of interest declaration is provided in the supplied article text; the publication types note non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that visitor restrictions alone caused resident decline. The study cannot separate infection, staffing shortages, isolation, and other pandemic effects, and residents who died or left may be missing from assessments.