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. 2021 Aug-Sep;33(7-8):618-632.
doi: 10.1177/08982643211004174. Epub 2021 Mar 27.

Social Isolation Among Older Adults in Long-Term Care: A Scoping Review

Sheila A Boamah  1 , Rachel Weldrick  2 , Tin-Suet Joan Lee  1 , Nicole Taylor  1
Affiliations

Social Isolation Among Older Adults in Long-Term Care: A Scoping Review

Sheila A Boamah et al. J Aging Health. 2021 Aug-Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: A wealth of literature has established risk factors for social isolation among older people; however, much of this research has focused on community-dwelling populations. Relatively little is known about how risk of social isolation is experienced among those living in long-term care (LTC) homes. We conducted a scoping review to identify possible risk factors for social isolation among older adults living in LTC homes. Methods: A systematic search of five online databases retrieved 1535 unique articles. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Results: Thematic analyses revealed that possible risk factors exist at three levels: individual (e.g., communication barriers), systems (e.g., location of LTC facility), and structural factors (e.g., discrimination). Discussion: Our review identified several risk factors for social isolation that have been previously documented in literature, in addition to several risks that may be unique to those living in LTC homes. Results highlight several scholarly and practical implications.

Keywords: long-term care; older adults; risk factors; social isolation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
PRISMA chart. Source: Moher D., Liberati A., Tetzlaff J., Altman D. G., and The PRISMA Group (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. PLoS Med, 6(7), article: e1000097. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed1000097.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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