Indigenous conceptualisations of Home in aged residential care settings: a scoping review

A sense of Home is an important part of wellbeing for all peoples, and there are unique dimensions to Home for Indigenous elders. Yet, there is a dearth of literature exploring the experiences and perspectives of Indigenous peoples in aged residential care (ARC) settings, and even less so from the perspectives of Indigenous elders themselves. The objective of this scoping review is to investigate and synthesise literature on Indigenous conceptualisations of Home and Home features in ARC settings from Indigenous elders' perspectives.

This scoping review was conducted through a systematic search of qualitative research from PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases. A framework considering Home holistically across physical, emotional, mental and spiritual domains was used to analyse findings.

Fifteen articles met the eligibility criteria for review. Indigenous elder's spoke to several significant features of Home in ARC settings related to Cultural Home, Physical Home, Emotional/Psychological Home and Relational/Social Home.

Indigenous peoples have differential access to ARC settings as well as unique desires, attitudes and aspirations for thriving in ARC settings. They further bring embodied and rich knowledges into their environments as eminent holders of intergenerational knowledges and cultural practices. Research has demonstrated that homelike environments are favourable in ARC settings. This review advocates for aged care systems to embed culturally relevant care and home practices that prioritise relationality and Indigenous knowledge at the core of service design and delivery.