Pfabigan Johanna, Pleschberger Sabine, Wosko Paulina
Gesundheit Österreich GmbH, Stubenring 6, 1010, Wien, Österreich.
Z Gerontol Geriatr. 2023 Oct;56(6):498-504. doi: 10.1007/s00391-022-02099-3. Epub 2022 Sep 2.
The number of older people living alone is constantly increasing. This group faces special challenges regarding remaining at home when their care needs increase, especially in later life. When no family is available, friends and neighbors, so called non-kin carers, are important sources of support.
A literature review was conducted to evaluate existing research on the relevance of non-kin support for older people living alone, from initial limitations to the end of their lives, particularly when they wished to remain at home.
The literature search followed the criteria of a scoping review and was conducted in relevant databases and manually. A total of 22 studies were included in the analysis.
Older people living alone are often embedded in complex support networks. Living alone at an advanced age creates tensions between the desire for independence and the need for help. Non-kin carers primarily provide instrumental, emotional, and informational support. Challenges arise due to difficult interpersonal dynamics and the overburdening of non-kin carers, especially when those they support are at the end of their lives.
It is important to understand care networks as a complex interplay of different actors. Future research should focus on the specific burdens on non-kin carers as well as on the dynamics of relationships in these care networks.
独居老年人的数量在不断增加。当他们的护理需求增加时，尤其是在晚年，这一群体在居家养老方面面临特殊挑战。当没有家人时，朋友和邻居，即所谓的非亲属照顾者，是重要的支持来源。
进行文献综述，以评估现有关于非亲属支持对独居老年人的相关性的研究，从最初的局限到生命终结，特别是当他们希望居家养老时。
文献检索遵循范围综述的标准，在相关数据库中进行并手动检索。共有22项研究纳入分析。
独居老年人通常置身于复杂的支持网络中。高龄独居在独立愿望和帮助需求之间产生紧张关系。非亲属照顾者主要提供工具性、情感性和信息性支持。由于人际动态关系困难以及非亲属照顾者负担过重，尤其是当他们所照顾的对象处于生命末期时，会出现各种挑战。
将护理网络理解为不同行为者之间的复杂相互作用很重要。未来的研究应关注非亲属照顾者的具体负担以及这些护理网络中的关系动态。
