Authors:
- Ivanka Jurišić, Home for the Elderly Mali Kartec, Krk, Croatia
- Klementina Ružić, Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Clinic of Psychiatry, Rijeka, Croatia; University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia
- Tanja Grahovac Juretić, Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Clinic of Psychiatry, Rijeka, Croatia; University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia
- Fadil Habibović, Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Clinic of Psychiatry, Rijeka, Croatia
- Elizabeta Dadić-Hero, Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Clinic of Psychiatry, Rijeka, Croatia; University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, Rijeka, Croatia; University of Rijeka, Faculty of Health Studies, Rijeka, Croatia
Article type:
Review
Abstract:
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic and called it COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), which has since led to numerous devastating consequences on the physical, mental, and social health of the global population and to the growing economic crises. The spread of the virus and the rate COVID-19 infections is the same in all genders and age groups, but a more severe clinical picture and death rate are by far the highest in the elderly. Nursing home users tend to be older, with greater disabilities and cognitive impairments than people of comparable age living in community and may have many other co-morbidities contributing to their relying on others for care, making them an extremely high-risk group. Although many measures have been implemented with the aim of protecting them, the available literature proves that the pandemic itself has had many negative impacts on the daily functioning, physical and mental health of nursing homes users. A literature review showed that a significant lack of healthcare workers due to sick leave and self-isolation, as well as a shortage of protective equipment due to insufficient financial resources, leads to an increased risk of COVID-19 infections among nursing homes users. Although governments and political organizations support the World Health Organization’s guidelines and recommendations for the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic, the guidelines for nursing home staff are incomplete and do not include many key situations, such as palliative care. Studies confirm that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nutritional status of nursing homes users is impaired, weight loss and lack of physical activity occur, and all the above further impairs the physical health of nursing homes users. The COVID-19 pandemic has also had many negative impacts on the mental health of nursing homes users, and the available literature has confirmed that it leads to loneliness, sadness, depression, and anxiety. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has had many negative impacts on the nursing homes users of homes, and there is a need to modify the guidelines to prevent or at least reduce the negative consequences.
Keywords:
COVID-19, elderly, health care, nursing homes, pandemic