Community Integration in Long-Term Care Residential Homes for Older Adults: A Scoping Review

This scoping review examined the question: What community-integrated activities are undertaken in long-term care (LTC) residential homes for older adults?

Scoping review following the Joanna Briggs Institute method and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews checklist.

LTC settings for older adults, aged 65 years and above.

Peer-reviewed English studies on community-integrated activities in LTC were included. Studies involving clinical or therapeutic interventions, mixed-care settings, populations under 65, broad commentary without specific activities, or reviews were excluded. A health sciences librarian assisted with a comprehensive search of MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, PsycINFO, and SocINDEX. Screening and data extraction were conducted using Covidence. Data extracted included study title, authors (year), country, study design (methods), purpose, participants (sample size), community-integrated activity, duration, outcomes, and author recommendations. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and narrative summaries.

After duplicate removal, 5604 studies were screened, and 46 were included. The number of publications notably increased within the past 5 years. There was a wide diversity in the types of community-integrated activities, including intergenerational activities (n = 25), volunteering (n = 10), on-site services and shared spaces (n = 4), and those involving animals (n = 3). Activity duration varied from permanent, cyclical, or transient. Overarching themes across outcomes included (1) psychosocial and emotional well-being, (2) social connection and belonging, (3) reciprocal intergenerational and community benefits, and (4) structural and implementation factors.

Overall, community-integrated activities represent a promising approach to supporting ongoing social connection for older adults in LTC homes. Planning for participant diversity and developing sustainable community partnerships may improve their impact. Policy support for stable funding and clear standards, together with future research examining the feasibility and outcomes of long-term programs, is needed to improve quality of life for older adults in LTC.