Forced into lockdowns to prevent the spread of coronavirus, families of people with dementia have been left heartbroken that being isolated appears to have contributed to the deterioration of their loved ones.
Key points:
- Research by the University of Sydney has found lack of human contact has contributed to the deterioration of health conditions
- Families of people with dementia say their loved ones appeared to deteriorate significantly during aged care lockdowns
- Dementia Australia is urging the Federal Government to recognise the value of family visits in future pandemic responses
For Verity Jausnik, coronavirus restrictions meant she was unable to spend quality time with her elderly mother, Vivian "Viv" Russell.
Ms Russell, 77, has lived with early onset dementia for a decade but an accelerated deterioration of her condition during the lockdown of her aged care home has meant she has lost her ability to remember her family, particularly her grandchildren.
"She wasn't getting those cuddles and the different conversations anymore," Ms Jausnik said of her mother in lockdown.
"And I don't really think Mum remembers me. I'll go, 'Hi Mum. How are you? I love you' and she'll go, 'I love you too.'"
Research done by the University of Sydney in partnership with Dementia Australia has found Ms Russell is not alone, with the sudden absence of human contact and mental stimulation during COVID-19 believed to have contributed to the deterioration of health conditions.
Prompted by the findings, Dementia Australia has urged the Federal Government to create a national aged care pandemic response that recognises the value of family visitation.
"Physical distancing restrictions and lockdowns in response to the pandemic had unintended consequences and that includes that cognitive functioning in many cases has declined more rapidly," Dementia Australia chief executive Maree McCabe said.
"They're functions that many people with dementia will not be able to restore."
Loading...
The report also recommended independent checks occur at aged care facilities to ensure lockdowns are "as brief as reasonably possible".
Ms Russell spent six weeks in lockdown — a move her daughter understood but feared took a serious toll.
"Mum loved going to the movies, going to the art gallery, going out for coffee, and going out to buy books — Mum was an avid reader," Ms Jausnik said.
She said she thought the impact lockdowns would have on the 500,000 Australians with dementia was not taken into consideration.
"She really became incredibly depressed.
"I would get phone calls from the staff where they would pop her on the phone and she would say, 'I want to come home. I don't want to be here.'"
Deterioration during lockdown 'sudden'
An industry code for aged care visitation, consistent with advice from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), was developed and distributed to providers several months after Australia's pandemic took hold.
On the same day the code was released, Ms Jausnik phoned her mother's care provider and convinced staff at the facility to let her in.
Once inside, she observed that her mother was "shuffling" instead of walking, no longer following instructions and lacking the ability to groom herself.
But Ms Jausnik does not blame the staff for her deterioration, insisting she was cared for by "wonderful staff who did the best they could".
Karen Glennen has cared for her 61-year-old husband Kerin in their home in regional Victoria since his dementia diagnosis four years ago.
She said COVID-19 shutdowns had stolen her most valued position — a role she has held for 35 years.
"I lost that role of wife, which is what I am," she said.
On top of caring for her husband each day, Ms Glennen said she became "his support worker, the person who was like, 'come on now, do your physio, or we've got to do your speech program'".
She said their Colac home started to feel like a "little island" after Kerin's community services suddenly shut down — including his local men's shed, art groups, swimming pool and gym.
"I certainly feel that Kerin has regressed," she said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck said the Government had made significant investments since January to support senior Australians.
"The Government has been continuously building and adapting the National Response Plan for COVID-19 in aged care," the spokesperson said.
The statement added that its Older Persons COVID-19 Support Line had been extended and Dementia Australia had received additional funding.
It also pointed to the findings of the Aged Care Royal Commission expected to be delivered in February and said it was expected to address "specific measures aimed at supporting aged care residents with dementia".
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTExLTI2L2RlbWVudGlhLWRldGVyaW9yYXRpb24tZmFzdGVyLWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWxvY2tkb3ducy1hZ2VkLWNhcmUvMTI5MjAzNDTSASdodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTI5MjAzNDQ?oc=5
2020-11-25 18:53:00Z
CAIiEBB5xWb7-8QAid_T58h5VukqFggEKg4IACoGCAow3vI9MPeaCDDciw4
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Coronavirus lockdowns contributing to faster deterioration in dementia patients, research finds - ABC News"
Post a Comment