VA Says Its Researchers Will Study COVID-19 in Aging Veterans with Dementia

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) said its researchers have begun studying the effects of the coronavirus on veterans with dementia in nursing communities, reports Connecting Vets . The National Institute on Aging allocated a $184,375 grant to the VA Center for Innovation in Long-term Services and Supports, which will help researchers seek risk factors for the virus in veterans, determine outcomes of intensive care use, and examine how the virus spreads throughout a nursing community. The VA said this information will be used to better protect veterans with dementia. The department also said each VA Community Living Center typically includes eight to 12 veterans, with some shared spaces. Those communities are currently using social distancing and monitoring temperatures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. "Veterans in our Community Living Centers are among our most vulnerable patients," declared VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. "They're counting on us to understand how this virus spreads and how it affects certain populations in these centers, and this timely grant will help us get there."