Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life and mental health of the elderly

Abstract

In December 2019, the increase in the number of cases of respiratory syndromes in Wuhan, (China), alarmed a local doctor about the symptoms that started as those of a simple flu and quickly evolved to severe pneumonia and death. In March 2020, a new virus pandemic (SARS-CoV-2) broke out, and measures to control the spread of the infection needed to be instituted around the world, such as wearing masks, frequent hand hygiene with soap and water, 70% alcohol use and the distance and social isolation. The latter has consequences for the mental health of the population already weakened by the moment experienced, with the elderly being more impacted by the distance and isolation, becoming more vulnerable to the development of mental disorders. The objective of this study was to assess the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life and mental health of the elderly, with aggravating factors being social isolation and changes in routine. A bibliographic search was carried out in four databases in the months of January and February 2021, and 20 articles were analyzed. Analysis of the literature has shown that: SARS-CoV-2 can invade the central nervous system causing behavioral damage; the distance and social isolation drastically affected the lifestyle of the elderly; the general population has reinvented themselves to minimize the effects of distance and social isolation, allowing some interaction between individuals, relevant to the maintenance of mental health, especially of the elderly.