Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Caregivers of Older Adults with Alzheimer's Disease: An Integrative Literature Review

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease marked by deterioration of cognition and short-term memory, in addition to neuropsychiatric and behavioral changes, determining the need for caregivers. In view of this, the objective of this study was to globally analyze the impact of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic for caregivers of older adults with Alzheimer's disease through integrative literature review. Using the keywords “caregivers”, “Alzheimer's disease” and “COVID-19” and their combinations the search was performed in the Karger, PubMed and SciELO, BIREME, Dynamed, Scopus, Medline Complete and ACS Publication databases. Articles in Portuguese and English that addressed caregivers of older adults with Alzheimer's disease in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic were included, excluding those that did not include the three descriptors and that were not published between 2020 and 2023. From the 12 selected articles, caregivers' emotional disturbances and increased burden were identified during this pandemic period, determining a decline in the caregiver's mental health during the pandemic. Literature findings validate the relationship between the pandemic and the worsening quality of life of caregivers, who, due to physical and emotional overload, presented behavioral disorders such as increased stress, depression and anxiety.