(P71) LTC-Resident Quality of Life 1 Year Following Initial COVID-19 Vaccination

Introduction/

Objective: The impact of early COVID-19 pandemic on residents in long-term care facilities was tremendous. Through 2020, COVID-19 death rate was as high as 20% in patients over 85 years and over one third of all COVID-19 related deaths occurred in residents in LTCF. The impact of the mandated isolation was its own pandemic in this vulnerable population. By October 2020, nursing home residents and healthcare workers top priority for the newly authorized mRNA vaccinations starting in January 2021. We quantified quality of life changes among residents in LTCF for the first year following vaccination.

Design/Methodology: This was an observational study of elderly residents who chose early vaccination. Quality of Life (QOL) of residents pre-vaccination and post-vaccination was assessed monthly using Control, Autonomy, Self-Realization, and Pleasure scale (CASP-19) monthly for 12 months following initial vaccination. Residents were eligible if they were ≥65 years old lived at one of the participating facilities, able to provide informed consent and scheduled for vaccination in January 2021. SPSS was used to calculate descriptive statistics. Institutional IRB approval was obtained (UVA IRB-HSR- HSR200387).

Results: Two local assisted living communities agreed to participate. All participants were consented virtually with video-based telehealth visit. Eleven participants were enrolled, average age 89 years (SD 4.5); 8 were female. Median and interquartile range (Mdn, IRQ) of CASP-19 scoring for our cohort prior to vaccination was Mdn of 42 (IQR 40.8-46.3), Mdn of 39 (IQR 33.8-45.5) at 6 months, and Mdn of 43 (IQR 41.0-46.8) at 12 months. Published mean score for CASP-19 in older adults with chronic conditions is 40.24 (SD 9.04).

Conclusion/

Discussion: Facility lock-downs during early COVID-19 pandemic led to social isolation among residents. In this study, we attempted to quantify QOL changes within initial 12 months of vaccination. In our experience, despite decreasing regulations on lock-downs, intermittent outbreaks and persistent fear of infection continued to impact residents and further social isolation. In our cohort, CASP-19 scores were similar to previously published results and there was no significant improvement quantified during our study period. While there are many limitations to this study, we do see that social isolation is complex and can continue despite increased activities and social interactions. This phenomenon needs further study to distinguish between loneliness and isolation among residents in LTCF.