TY - JOUR
T1 - Older Adults' Daily Activity and Mood Changes Detected during the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Remote Unobtrusive Monitoring Technologies
AU - Leese, Mira I.
AU - Bernstein, John P.K.
AU - Dorociak, Katherine E.
AU - Mattek, Nora
AU - Wu, Chao Yi
AU - Beattie, Zachary
AU - Dodge, Hiroko H.
AU - Kaye, Jeffrey
AU - Hughes, Adriana M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Background and Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has limited older adults' access to in-person medical care, including screenings for cognitive and functional decline. Remote, technology-based tools have shown recent promise in assessing changes in older adults' daily activities and mood, which may serve as indicators of underlying health-related changes (e.g., cognitive decline). This study examined changes in older adults' driving, computer use, mood, and travel events prior to and following the COVID-19 emergency declaration using unobtrusive monitoring technologies and remote online surveys. As an exploratory aim, the impact of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) on these changes was assessed. Research Design and Methods: Participants were 59 older adults (41 cognitively intact and 18 MCI) enrolled in a longitudinal aging study. Participants had their driving and computer use behaviors recorded over a 5-month period (75 days pre-and 76 days post-COVID emergency declaration) using unobtrusive technologies. Measures of mood, overnight guests, and frequency of overnight travel were also collected weekly via remote online survey. Results: After adjusting for age, gender, and education, participants showed a significant decrease in daily driving distance, number of driving trips, highway driving, and nighttime driving, post-COVID-19 as compared to pre-COVID-19 (p <. 001) based on generalized estimating equation models. Further, participants spent more time on the computer per day post-COVID-19 (p =. 03). Participants endorsed increases in blue mood (p <. 01) and loneliness (p <. 001) and decreases in travel away from home and overnight visitors (p <. 001) from pre-to post-COVID-19. Cognitive status did not impact these relationships. Discussion and Implications: From pre-to post-COVID-19 emergency declaration, participants drove and traveled less, used their computer more, had fewer overnight visitors, and reported greater psychological distress. These results highlight the behavioral and psychological effects of stay-At-home orders on older adults who are cognitively intact and those with MCI.
AB - Background and Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has limited older adults' access to in-person medical care, including screenings for cognitive and functional decline. Remote, technology-based tools have shown recent promise in assessing changes in older adults' daily activities and mood, which may serve as indicators of underlying health-related changes (e.g., cognitive decline). This study examined changes in older adults' driving, computer use, mood, and travel events prior to and following the COVID-19 emergency declaration using unobtrusive monitoring technologies and remote online surveys. As an exploratory aim, the impact of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) on these changes was assessed. Research Design and Methods: Participants were 59 older adults (41 cognitively intact and 18 MCI) enrolled in a longitudinal aging study. Participants had their driving and computer use behaviors recorded over a 5-month period (75 days pre-and 76 days post-COVID emergency declaration) using unobtrusive technologies. Measures of mood, overnight guests, and frequency of overnight travel were also collected weekly via remote online survey. Results: After adjusting for age, gender, and education, participants showed a significant decrease in daily driving distance, number of driving trips, highway driving, and nighttime driving, post-COVID-19 as compared to pre-COVID-19 (p <. 001) based on generalized estimating equation models. Further, participants spent more time on the computer per day post-COVID-19 (p =. 03). Participants endorsed increases in blue mood (p <. 01) and loneliness (p <. 001) and decreases in travel away from home and overnight visitors (p <. 001) from pre-to post-COVID-19. Cognitive status did not impact these relationships. Discussion and Implications: From pre-to post-COVID-19 emergency declaration, participants drove and traveled less, used their computer more, had fewer overnight visitors, and reported greater psychological distress. These results highlight the behavioral and psychological effects of stay-At-home orders on older adults who are cognitively intact and those with MCI.
KW - Alzheimer's disease
KW - COVID-19
KW - Mild cognitive impairment
KW - Remote monitoring
KW - Technology
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U2 - 10.1093/geroni/igab032
DO - 10.1093/geroni/igab032
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85121395805
SN - 2399-5300
VL - 5
JO - Innovation in Aging
JF - Innovation in Aging
IS - 4
M1 - igab032
ER -