Advanced Care Research Centre, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Bio Cube 1, Edinburgh BioQuarter, 13 Little France Road, Edinburgh, EH16 4UX, UK.
School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh (Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton St, Newington, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB, UK.
BMC Geriatr. 2023 Aug 31;23(1):531. doi: 10.1186/s12877-023-04190-9.
To address the care needs of older adults, it is important to identify and understand the forms of care support older adults received. This systematic review aims to examine the social networks of older adults receiving informal or formal care and the factors that influenced their networks.
A systematic review was conducted by searching six databases from inception to January 31, 2023. The review included primary studies focusing on older adults receiving long-term care, encompassing both informal and formal care. To assess the risk of bias in the included studies, validated appraisal tools specifically designed for different study types were utilized. Network analysis was employed to identify the grouping of study concepts, which subsequently formed the foundation for describing themes through narrative synthesis.
We identified 121 studies relating to the formal and informal care of older adults' networks. A variety of social ties were examined by included studies. The most commonly examined sources of care support were family members (such as children and spouses) and friends. Several factors were consistently reported to influence the provision of informal care, including the intensity of networks, reciprocity, and geographical proximity. In terms of formal care utilization, older age and poor health status were found to be associated with increased use of healthcare services. Additionally, physical limitations and cognitive impairment were identified as factors contributing to decreased social engagement.
This review found that older people were embedded within a diverse network. The findings of this review emphasize the importance of recognizing and incorporating the diversity of social networks in care plans and policies to enhance the effectiveness of interventions and improve the overall well-being of older adults.
为了满足老年人的护理需求，识别和了解老年人接受的护理支持形式非常重要。本系统评价旨在研究接受非正式或正式护理的老年人的社会网络以及影响其网络的因素。
从建库到 2023 年 1 月 31 日，我们对六个数据库进行了系统检索。本研究纳入了聚焦于接受长期护理的老年人的原始研究，包括非正式和正式护理。为了评估纳入研究的偏倚风险，我们使用了专门针对不同研究类型设计的验证评估工具。我们采用网络分析来确定研究概念的分组，进而通过叙述性综合法来描述主题。
我们确定了 121 项关于老年人网络的正式和非正式护理的研究。纳入研究考察了各种社会联系。最常被研究的护理支持来源是家庭成员（如子女和配偶）和朋友。有几个因素被一致报道会影响非正式护理的提供，包括网络的强度、互惠性和地理接近性。在使用正式护理方面，年龄较大和健康状况较差与增加医疗保健服务的使用相关。此外，身体限制和认知障碍被认为是导致社交参与减少的因素。
本综述发现，老年人嵌入在一个多样化的网络中。本综述的结果强调了在护理计划和政策中认识和纳入社会网络多样性的重要性，以提高干预措施的有效性并改善老年人的整体福祉。
