As the Guardian reports this morning:
The pandemic has caused sustained harm to the brain health of people aged 50 or over, rapidly speeding up cognitive decline regardless of whether or not they caught Covid, researchers have discovered.
As they add:
Almost 780 million people were killed or made ill by the coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization. Health experts are now learning more about the indirect effects of the biggest public health crisis in a century.
A study has found that cognitive function and working memory in older adults declined more quickly during the first year of the pandemic between March 2020 and February 2021, even if they were not infected with the virus. The trend continued into 2021/22, suggesting an impact beyond the initial lockdowns.
I am not especially surprised by this. Covid reduced our interactions with people. I am no great party animal, but eventually found lockdown hard. Without regular and varied conversation of course our cognitive functions reduce.
But, why did this continue in the year after lockdowns? Was it that we never picked up where we left off?
And does this have serious long-term implications?
I do not think anyone knows as yet.
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I have definitely noticed a change in my own behaviour since lockdown. Now, when a decision is to be made about attending the theatre or an exhibition for example, I find myself acutely aware of all the minor obstacles to attending and all the silly reasons for not going. Mostly, I then don’t go. Things that were unthinkingly included in one’s daily life, since lockdown have required a conscious decision making process that often leads to a lethargic outcome.
I agree with all that.
I was as busy as ever over Covid lockdown, more so since the email traffic increased tenfold (not being able to meet people meant more longer emails).
So, I’m surprised by this unless these are people – and there are loads of them – who simply left the workforce.
For those of us at work this was probably generally true.
For those not in it – and many over 50 are not – isolation undoubtedly grew.
I continued to go to my owrkplace throughout lockdown, although there were adjustments there. Zoom meetings instead of in person meetings, weird when you could look around the open plan office and physically see everyone on the call. My personal life was constrained, but I didn’t think that was substantial. I have never enjoyed visiting the shops, and the expansion (for me) of shopping on line was great.
I then retired at the end of June 2022 and not having to go out to work has made a huge difference to my behaviour. In particular I also “find myself acutely aware of all the minor obstacles to attending and all the silly reasons for not going” not just entertainment, but going anywhere. Weird.
My own experience is almost the opposite of this. I remember my daughter saying at the start of lockdown that it wouldn’t affect me much because I am not very sociable normally. There is certainly something in this. However I have been involved with various groups, mainly in the free software movement, since the 1980’s.
At first it was almost exclusively by email (For the youngsters among you, email did exist in the 1980’s although it was a terrible hassle getting it delivered to my home computer. For many years I ran my own mailserver. That was before spam was a problem. I wouldn’t want to do it now!).
During lockdown a lot of “refugees” from face to face groups started joining in and it was made aware of how many things I could physically attend. If anything I am going to more things now.
I go out
I just chooses with care
Winter is harder
Due to the nature of my job I was not furloughed and worked throughout COVID. I made it clear that if it was possible I would prefer to go into the office [15 minutes door to desk]. After some delay it was agreed. I was the only one to go to the office [the younger staff worked from home] on a daily basis and the only in the in the room. Despite this, I was making/taking regular phone calls and had the cleaners come in every day, with whom I chatted. I realised that most of the time I don’t like being with or around large groups, so I now focus on small or 1-1 meet ups in cafes.
At the moment I don’t notice any issues as a result of that…though I’m not likely to be the best judge.
As time goes on we’ll learn more about what kind of people have suffered mentally from a necessary lockdown. I doubt we’ll be happy with the knowledge as I suspect it will put some holes in some cherished ideas.
I’m back to three or four days in the office. I don’t notice much difference for me or my immediate family. Life continues. Children adapt.
But for my parents and my in-laws it has been an absolute disaster. Perhaps there would have been an inevitable mental and physical decline anyway, plus a couple of new serious medical conditions.
But I am sure things are now much worse than they would have been otherwise because their horizons have drawn in, and I fear they are now unable to recover the abilities they had just a few years ago. It becomes a situation of surviving rather than thriving. Perhaps it is also just an aspect of life carrying on, but it is grim.
I think you may be right
Over 50 may be wrong here
Over 70 may be more appropriate
Ove 75 even more so