Alzheimer’s disease; Covid-19; Hallucinations; Lockdown; Aged; Female; Homes for the Aged/organization & administration; Humans; Male; Alzheimer Disease/epidemiology; Alzheimer Disease/therapy; COVID-19/epidemiology; COVID-19/prevention & control; Communicable Disease Control; Hallucinations/epidemiology; Patients/psychology; Patients/statistics & numerical data; Homes for the Aged; Patients; Psychiatry and Mental Health
Abstract :
[en] We investigated the effects of lockdown, as implemented by retirement homes to cope with the spread of Covid-19, on hallucinatory experiences in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study included 47 patients with AD living in retirement homes and who were already experiencing hallucinations prior to the lockdown. We invited caregivers to rate hallucinatory experiences in these patients during the lockdown, and compared this rating with that provided by the same caregivers prior to the lockdown. Results demonstrated increased hallucinatory experiences in patients with AD during the lockdown, compared with before the lockdown. The decrease in social and physical activities during the lockdown, and especially, the physical separation of residents from family members, might have led to decreased sensory stimulation and increased loneliness, and consequently, to the hallucinatory experiences in patients with AD living in retirement homes during the lockdown. While the restrictive measures were necessary to cope with the spread of Covid-19, these measures have increased hallucinations in patients with AD living in retirement homes, at least in those who were already experiencing hallucinations prior to the lockdown.
Disciplines :
Neurosciences & behavior
Author, co-author :
El Haj, Mohamad ; Nantes Université, Univ Angers, Laboratoire de Psychologie Des Pays de La Loire (LPPL - EA 4638), 44000, Nantes, France. mohamad.elhaj@univ-nantes.fr ; Unité de Gériatrie, Centre Hospitalier de Tourcoing, Tourcoing, France. mohamad.elhaj@univ-nantes.fr ; Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France. mohamad.elhaj@univ-nantes.fr
Laroi, Frank ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Psychologie et Neuroscience Cognitives (PsyNCog) ; Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway ; Norwegian Center of Excellence for Mental Disorders Research, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Gallouj, Karim; Unité de Gériatrie, Centre Hospitalier de Tourcoing, Tourcoing, France
Language :
English
Title :
Hallucinations and Covid-19: Increased Occurrence of Hallucinations in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease During Lockdown.
The first author was supported by the LABEX (excellence laboratory, program investment for the future) DISTALZ (Development of Innovative Strategies for a Transdisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer Disease)
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