THE IMPACTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF THE ELDERLY AND STRATEGIES FOR COPING (Atena Editora)

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. On the 11/03/2020th, the state of a pandemic was declared, with that, several security measures were adopted by governments around the world. These measures impacted the behavior patterns of individuals, especially the elderly population, generating fragility in physical and mental health. Objective: To understand, through a literature review, how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health of the elderly, as well as to report possible coping strategies in the face of social isolation. Methods: A literature review was carried out, searching for articles in the Scielo, Medline, BVS and Pubmed databases, using the descriptors: Mental Health, Elderly (Aged) and COVID-19. The selected articles were those that answered the guiding question, with publication time between 2020 and 2021, with Qualis above B3 and in Portuguese. Results: Articles were selected (Scielo = 2, Medline = 4, BVS = 2 and Pubmed = 4), from the eligible sample based on the title and abstract, 6 studies were excluded because they did not fit the theme addressed. In this literature review, 12 articles were considered and the reasons for excluding the others were not responding to the specific theme. Conclusions: With the articles used in the present study, it can be seen that, with social isolation, which is a measure to contain the COVID-19 virus, one of the most affected populations was the elderly. The pandemic was a factor with the greatest potential impact on the mental health of this class, causing loneliness, depression and anxiety, as well as, through it, they were able to carry out some activities that they did not want to or did not know how to do before.