Abstract
The objective of this review was to understand how participants experience the decision-making process regarding the place of care for the elderly. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of qualitative studies. The articles were included if they were original studies with qualitative/mixed methodology, written in English/Spanish, and that approached the decision-making process regarding the place of care for the elderly, already experienced by the participants. Forty-four articles were included, identifying experiences, both negative and positive. Negative experiences have been the most frequently reported experiences by all population groups; fear was the most relevant experience for the elderly, whereas concern was the most relevant for family members and professionals. This review has not only found a great variability of experiences, but also, it has deepened the differences between groups and the situations motivating/generating these experiences. This review highlights a wide range of experiences of those directly involved in the entire decision-making process on the place of care for the elderly. In future research it would be interesting to carry out qualitative primary studies conducted with professionals and other relevant people involved in this decision-making process, in order to know first-hand how they experience this process.
Highlights
The perspective of the United Nations indicates that the worldwide population continues to increase today, at a slower pace, with an expectation that it will continue growing in the coming years, reaching 8.5 billion people by 2030, 9.7 billion by 2050, and10.9 billion by 2100 [1]
The main result of our review is the collection of information regarding a wide range of experiences occurring throughout the entire decision-making process
This review highlights a wide range of experiences, positive and negative, of those directly involved in the entire decision-making process on the place of care for the elderly
Summary
The perspective of the United Nations indicates that the worldwide population continues to increase today, at a slower pace, with an expectation that it will continue growing in the coming years, reaching 8.5 billion people by 2030, 9.7 billion by 2050, and10.9 billion by 2100 [1]. The perspective of the United Nations indicates that the worldwide population continues to increase today, at a slower pace, with an expectation that it will continue growing in the coming years, reaching 8.5 billion people by 2030, 9.7 billion by 2050, and. Anticipating the aforementioned report, the proportion of older people worldwide will reach almost 12%. Report on Ageing and Health, care dependence increases as age increases, which will cause the ageing of the population to lead to a significant increase in the number of people requiring social assistance, which will affect countries of all levels of development [2]. A few years ago, in a report on long-term care, the United States Department of Health and Human Services reported that the demand for long-term care for the elderly, whether in community or institutional care settings, was expected to increase [3]
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