Evaluating the Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown on Long-Term Care Residents’ Mental Health: A Data-Driven Approach in New Brunswick

Long-term care (LTC) residents, isolated because of the COVID-19 pandemic, are at increased risk for negative mental health outcomes. The purpose of our article is to demonstrate how the interRAI LTC facility (LTCF) assessment can inform clinical care and evaluate the effect of strategies to mitigate worsening mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. We present a supporting analysis of the effects of lockdown in homes without COVID-19 outbreaks on depression, delirium, and behavior problems in a network of 7 LTC homes in New Brunswick, Canada, where mitigative strategies were deployed to minimize poor mental health outcomes (eg, virtual visits and increased student volunteers).