Care services for older persons: A scoping review

Abstract

Introduction: With an increasing life expectancy and proportion of older adults, the number of people in need of care services is also increasing. This study aimed to determine and describe various available care services for older persons reported in literature. Methods: English-language articles published between the years of 1990 and 2018 in Scopus, ProQuest, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases or search engines were reviewed. The search resulted in 46,927 articles. All selected studies were systematically evaluated and screened based on title, abstract, and full text related to the study’s objective. Finally, 246 articles were included in the study. The care services in older persons care systems were identified from the selected articles and were presented in extraction tables. Final conclusions were made based on the types of services provided and their frequency of citation. Results: The research results showed that numerous systems exist to provide care services for older adults, including long-term care services, home care services, housing for the aged, day care centres, senior centres, nursing homes, and hospice care services. Regarding older adults’ care needs and the objectives and missions of each care system, different care services, such as personal care, social support services, medical care services, and nutrition services, have been identified in the service packages. Conclusion: This study describes the diverse care services available for older persons that have been reported in the literature. Further research in different healthcare systems is required regarding what is most essential and lacking in each setting.

Keywords

• older persons care
• service package
• health system