A free dementia tool kit has been launched by the University of Sydney after a study involving four countries has found the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the health of people living with dementia, and led to a decline in carer mental health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID a pandemic on 11 March 2020 and people in most parts of the world have endured lockdowns and limitations on freedom.
“Environmental changes can have a huge impact on people living with dementia and their carers. These findings point to disturbing trends that COVID-19 and related restrictions leads to a rapid deterioration of dementia symptoms,” said the study’s lead author, Grace Wei, who is completing her PhD with the Brain and Mind Centre’s Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) Research Clinic.
“It also had a profound impact on the mental and emotional well-being of family carers, providing us with evidence that COVID-19 has resulted in a decline in mental health and increased social isolation.”
But there is action that people and carers can take to address the impact of COVID.
The University has developed an evidence-based toolkit to support family carers and people living with dementia. It can be downloaded for free, by clicking here.
Support for carers is also available through Dementia Australia’s National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500.
