New Recovery Strategies in Motor and Cognitive Functions, before, during and after Home-Confinement COVID-19, for Healthy Adults and Patients with Neurodegenerative Diseases: Review

Abstract

Distancing and confinement at home during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has led to worsening of motor and cognitive functions, both for healthy adults and for patients with neurodegenerative diseases. The decrease in physical activity, the cessation of the intervention of the recovery and the social distance imposed by the lockdown, has had a negative impact on the physical and mental health, quality of life, daily activities, as well as on the behavioral attitudes of the diet. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the impact of decreasing physical activity and the affected emotional status in healthy adults and patients with neurodegenerative diseases in conditions imposed by the stay at home mandate of COVID-19, along with new interventions, such as telemedicine and telerehabilitation. These interventions include online surveys carried out in multi-languages, semi-structured interviews, intervention smartphones and interventions through online platforms, for instance: Google, WhatsApp, Twitter, ResearchGate, Facebook and LinkedIn. For this study, we selected original papers that were intensively processed using characteristics co-related with physical activity, mental wellbeing, sleep quality, good eating behavior and healthy lifestyle. By searching the last two years of literature, our review presents and demonstrates the benefit of online technological interventions in lockdown, which promote physical exercise patterns and rehabilitation techniques, for healthy adults and patients with neurodegenerative diseases, and the need to develop new strategic directions and governmental measures, designed procedures and health services, which are expected to improve the quality of life, the progress of physical and cognitive functions, mental health and wellbeing for all.

Psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Parkinson's disease patients

“…Both healthy adults and patients with neurodegenerative diseases have experienced worsening motor and cognitive functions because of distancing and confinement at home during the COVID-19 outbreak. The lockdown has negatively affected the physical and mental health, the quality of life, daily activities, and diet behaviour due to the decrease in physical activity, the stoppage of the recovery intervention and the social distance it imposed [ 26 , 27 ]. We found that 33.0% of patients had racing thoughts, while 9.0% of the controls reported racing thoughts ( p < .0001).…”

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Its Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study with Thematic Analysis of Patients and Caregivers Who Participated in Self-Help Groups

“…Additionally, a more rapid decline in functional status was observed during periods of restrictive measures [27]. The most notable changes were associated with disturbances in cognitive functions and emotional states, deterioration in well-being and quality of life, disrupted sleep patterns, and unhealthy eating behaviors, particularly among women [28].…”