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The Global Council on Brain Health: Tailoring brain health guidance for the pandemic era
Author(s) -
Chura Lindsay Rachel
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1002/alz.055030
Subject(s) - pandemic , globe , mental health , presentation (obstetrics) , medicine , health care , psychology , covid-19 , public relations , psychiatry , disease , political science , neuroscience , infectious disease (medical specialty) , pathology , law , radiology
Background The Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH) recognizes people across the globe are interested in learning what they can do to maintain their brain health as they cope with the pandemic. With growing evidence that COVID‐19 harms brain health, the GCBH determined it was important to inform people about the impact and what if anything might be done about it. Method The GCBH has updated recommendations relevant to patient and caregiver advice to reflect the current challenges of living in a pandemic. This presentation will explore both the direct and indirect ways the virus impacts brain health and offers recommendations based upon the current state of the science on how to try to avoid the harms the pandemic poses. The GCBH considered which of their previous brain health recommendations they could make to foster brain health resiliency during the pandemic. Result Recommendations included: stay physically active, eat a healthy diet, stay socially connected, maintain a regular sleep schedule, stimulate your brain, take care of your mental health, pay attention to signs of ‘brain fog’, monitor changes in neurological health, and don’t put off necessary medical appointments. Conclusion This presentation will discuss the approach taken and lessons learned in adapting several years of brain health guidance for the COVID era. Living through this pandemic, even without infection, can adversely impact mental well‐being and ultimately brain health. Many people have been forced to change rituals and routines with substantially reduced social interaction under guidelines designed to reduce the spread of the virus. Moreover, COVID has had an undeniably huge negative impact on people living with dementia and the long‐term consequences will be topic of research for years to come.