Telecommunication and neuropsychiatric symptoms in long term care dementia patients during the COVID-19 lockdown ERA

Abstract

Introduction

Ippokrateio Therapeutirio in the city of Larissa, Thessaly, Greece is a private for-profit psychogeriatric hospital focusing on Long Term Care on patients with dementia. During the COVID-19 era lockdown visits by carers/relatives/friends were forbidden due to the preventive government measures. At that same time appearance and/or exaggeration of neuropsychiatric symptoms was observed. In order to restore communication issues we performed telecommunication sessions (videocalls) and measured, among other factors, neuropsychiatric symptoms before and after sessions.

Objectives

Primary objective was to check for relations between video-calls and changes in neuropsychiatric symptoms using NeuroPsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Secondary objective was to check for carers and patients satisfaction, mainly through qualitative information.

Methods

120 patients with diagnosis of minor or major neuroconitive disorder of any type participated in the video call sessions. Two video calls per patient took place (1 per week) with a 10-inches tablet. Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) was performed before the start of the video-calls. NPI had been performed again the week after both sessions were completed. Satisfaction of carers and patients was recorded, mostly as qualitative data.

Results

Neuropsychiatric symptoms improved in patients with mild or moderate neurocognitive decline. In more severe cases though anxiety, irritability and sleep problems worsened. Satisfaction reached almost 95% of the carers.

Conclusions

Video calls could be a very good way to surpass the communication burden during the pandemic restrictions for LTC dementia patients. Caution should be given to severely demented patients since clinical observations show that a cluster of symptoms worsens.