Tele-rehabilitation interventions for individuals living with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic: Mixed-method systematic review

Background: Considering COVID-19, individuals living with dementia are more vulnerable, and tele-rehabilitation can be incorporated into dementia care. Objective: To analyse the evidence of the availability and effectiveness of tele-rehabilitation interventions for individuals living with dementia in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A mixed-method systematic review was conducted. Cochrane, ProQuest, PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched using keywords that include dementia, tele-rehabilitation, and COVID-19. Article quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal tool. Results: Thirteen articles were included. Finding suggest, most tele-interventions were being implemented in European and high-income countries. These interventions included: videoconferences, telephone-based interventions, television-based assistive technology, and human-robot. Conclusion: Despite the lack of rigorous studies, tele-rehabilitation is effective in improving cognition, behavioural and psychological symptoms, quality of life, and social connectedness. Rigorous methodologies, i.e., randomised control trials, are recommended.