Social connection and physical health outcomes among long-term care home residents: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Social connection is recognized as an important determinant of health and well-being. The negative health impacts of poor social connection have been reported in research in older adults, however, less is known about the health impacts for those living in long-term care (LTC) homes. This review seeks to identify and summarize existing research to address the question: what is known from the literature about the association between social connection and physical health outcomes for people living in LTC homes? METHODS: A scoping review guided by the Arksey & O'Malley framework was conducted. Articles were included if they examined the association between social connection and a physical health outcome in a population of LTC residents. RESULTS: Thirty-four studies were included in this review. The most commonly studied aspects of social connection were social engagement (n = 14; 41%) and social support (n = 10; 29%). A range of physical health outcomes were assessed, including mortality, self-rated health, sleep, fatigue, nutrition, hydration, stress, frailty and others. Findings generally support the positive impact of social connection for physical health among LTC residents. However, most of the studies were cross-sectional (n = 21; 62%) and, of the eleven cohort studies, most (n = 8; 73%) assessed mortality as the outcome. 47% (n = 16) were published from 2015 onwards. CONCLUSIONS: Research has reported positive associations between social connection and a range of physical health outcomes among LTC residents. These findings suggest an important role for social connection in promoting physical health. However, further research is needed to consider the influence of different aspects of social connection over time and in different populations within LTC homes as well as the mechanisms underlying the relationship with health.

Home- and community-level predictors of social connection in nursing home residents: A scoping review.

Background and Aims: Social connection is associated with better physical and mental health and is an important aspect of the quality of care for nursing home residents. The primary objective of this scoping review was to answer the question: what nursing home and community characteristics have been tested as predictors of social connection in nursing home residents? The secondary objective was to describe the measures of social connection used in these studies. Methods: We searched MEDLINE(R) ALL (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), APA PsycINFO (Ovid), Scopus, Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest), Embase and Embase Classic (Ovid), Emcare Nursing (Ovid), and AgeLine (EBSCO) for research that quantified associations between nursing home and/or community characteristics and resident social connection. Searches were limited to English-language articles published from database inception to search date (July 2019) and update (January 2021). Results: We found 45 studies that examined small-scale home-like settings (17 studies), facility characteristics (14 studies), staffing characteristics (11 studies), care philosophy (nine studies), and community characteristics (five studies). Eight studies assessed multiple home or community-level exposures. The most frequent measures of social connection were study-specific assessments of social engagement (11 studies), the Index of Social Engagement (eight studies) and Qualidem social relations (six studies), and/or social isolation (five studies) subscales. Ten studies assessed multiple social connection outcomes. Conclusion: Research has assessed small-scale home-like settings, facility characteristics, staffing characteristics, care philosophy, and community characteristics as predictors of social connection in nursing home residents. In these studies, there was no broad consensus on best approach(es) to the measurement of social connection. Further research is needed to build an evidence-base on how modifiable built environment, staffing and care philosophy characteristics-and the interactions between these factors-impact residents' social connection.

Social Connection in Long-Term Care Homes: A Scoping Review of Published Research on the Mental Health Impacts and Potential Strategies During COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: Good social connection is associated with better health and wellbeing. However, social connection has distinct considerations for people living in long-term care (LTC) homes. The objective of this scoping review was to summarize research literature linking social connection to mental health outcomes, specifically among LTC residents, as well as research to identify strategies to help build and maintain social connection in this population during COVID-19. DESIGN: Scoping review. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: Residents of LTC homes, care homes, and nursing homes. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE(R) ALL (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), PsycINFO (Ovid), Scopus, Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest), Embase and Embase Classic (Ovid), Emcare Nursing (Ovid), and AgeLine (EBSCO) for research that quantified an aspect of social connection among LTC residents; we limited searches to English-language articles published from database inception to search date (July 2019). For the current analysis, we included studies that reported (1) the association between social connection and a mental health outcome, (2) the association between a modifiable risk factor and social connection, or (3) intervention studies with social connection as an outcome. From studies in (2) and (3), we identified strategies that could be implemented and adapted by LTC residents, families and staff during COVID-19 and included the articles that informed these strategies. RESULTS: We included 133 studies in our review. We found 61 studies that tested the association between social connection and a mental health outcome. We highlighted 12 strategies, informed by 72 observational and intervention studies, that might help LTC residents, families, and staff build and maintain social connection for LTC residents. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Published research conducted among LTC residents has linked good social connection to better mental health outcomes. Observational and intervention studies provide some evidence on approaches to address social connection in this population. Although further research is needed, it does not obviate the need to act given the sudden and severe impact of COVID-19 on social connection in LTC residents.