https://www.oleantimesherald.com/news/alarming-rise-in-alzheimers-dementia-deaths-seen-in-ny/article_7b4019a2-5098-5d87-959c-49f4f277be24.htmlA recent analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data by the Alzheimer's Association found that deaths in these disease categories during the first nine months of the year were 21.4% higher than usual in the state of New York and 16.6% higher than usual nationwide.
Another theory is that the disruption to structure and routine, along with prolonged social isolation, may have accelerated decline for some people. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities were closed to outside visitors, and adult day care programs closed entirely. Families who could only visit virtually or through windows have described what appeared to them like rapid physical and cognitive decline in their loved ones, especially those dealing with Alzheimer's and dementia.
Mental stimulation from conversation and other activities that promote thinking, concentration and memory have been shown to slow decline in people with dementia, and much of that was lost or greatly reduced during the pandemic, Smith-Boivin said.
"I don't think it was simply that the social isolation resulted in people being lonely," she said. "I think it resulted in much more."
(excerpted)
