Younger Nursing Home Residents: A Scoping Review of Their Lived Experiences, Needs, and Quality of Life

Abstract

Objectives: The percentage of younger nursing home (NH) residents (ages 18-64 years) in some countries such as the United States and Canada has been increasing over the years. In fact, it is generally held that younger NH residents are considerably different from the older residents (age ≥65 years). There is a need to understand who they are, why they resided in NHs, and their quality of life (QoL). The aims of the study were to describe the experiences, needs, and QoL among younger residents living in NHs.

Design: Scoping review.

Settings and participants: (Younger) Residents of NHs.

Methods: Five databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus) and Google Scholar were used to search for relevant studies. PRISMA diagram was used to guide this scoping review.

Results: The key findings of the study cover 5 themes: (1) Confinement, (2) Lack of socialization, (3) Lack of privacy, (4) Lack of appropriate settings, and (5) Loss of identity, as well as results of QoL were generated.

Conclusions and implications: This scoping review provides a deeper understanding of the lived experiences, needs, and QoL among younger NH residents. The results provide suggestions for future studies regarding new interventions to optimize the QoL of NH residents.

Keywords: Younger residents; lived experience; needs; nursing home; quality of life; scoping review.