新冠疫情時期隔離政策對長照機構老年住民帶來的影響

Impact of Isolation on Elderly Residents of Long-term Care Facilities during COVID-19

2019年底，在中國湖北省武漢市出現多起肺炎感染病例，病原體後來被發現為一新型冠狀病毒，疫情快速的擴散至整個中國，而後至整個世界。此病毒被正式命名為「嚴重急性呼吸症候群冠狀病毒第二型(severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,SARS-CoV-2)」，其引起的疾病則被命名為2019新型冠狀病毒疾病(coronavirus disease2019, COVID-19)。至今全世界已累計超過一億個案例，死亡人數超過兩百五十萬人。長期照護機構中的住民多為年長者，且常有多重共病，為高風險族群，一旦受此病毒感染，病情的進展、預後往往較差，死亡率較高。台灣為疫情相對穩定的地方；在國外，有多起長照機構爆發感染的案例，因此疾病而死亡的病患也有很大比例為長照機構的住民。為了疫情控制，各國都實施程度不一的隔離政策，許多長照機構限制住民外出，也禁止訪客探視。然而，此政策大大減少了人們的身體活動及社交活動，對身體及心理健康都帶來一定程度的影響。此篇文章目的在探討防疫隔離政策可能帶來的健康議題，以及可能的應對措施。

At the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus was identified as the cause of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province of China. It rapidly spread in China, and then resulted in a worldwide pandemic. In February 2020, the World Health Organization designated the disease COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The virus was designated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). To date, there are a cumulative total of more than 100,000,000 confirmed cases worldwide and the global death toll has climbed to more than 2,500,000. The residents of long-term care facilities are often of old age and with multiple comorbidities, making them the most vulnerable population in this pandemic. Progression of the disease, poorer prognosis, and higher mortality are associated with old age. In Taiwan, the condition is relatively stable. In other countries, there’ve been massive outbreaks reported in long-term care facilities, and a large proportion of the patients who died from the disease are residents of long-term care facilities. In order to control the pandemic, quarantine policies have been implemented in many countries. To minimize the risk of spreading the virus, one common practice in long-term care facilities is to restrict residents from going out and prohibit family members and friends from visiting. However, these isolation measures significantly reduce physical and social activities in all populations, leading to detrimental consequences of physical and mental health. The purpose of this article is to discuss the health issues that may be brought about by the isolation measures and to discuss the possible response measures.