It is Not Only About Staying Alive: A Living Systematic Review of Social Care Strategies for Older Adults in Residential Care Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Summary The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on older adults in geriatric residential care facilities worldwide. In Canada, the mortality rate in these care settings was particularly high. To curb the spread of the virus, social distancing and other restrictions were introduced with inadvertent negative impacts on psychosocial well-being of residents in facilities. The goal of this Living Systematic Review (LSR) was to synthesize emerging evidence on social care strategies in Canadian residential care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings Results from the 35 studies show that the inclusion of older adults from residential care in research samples has been rare. Also, most of the identified social care interventions were on micro-, meso-, and exolevels, whereas macrolevel focus was limited. Applications For the profound systemic impact of macropolicies, future studies should evaluate macrolevel interventions to ensure high quality of geriatric residential care in Canada. Also, future research should amplify the voices of older adults living in these care settings. Finally, greater attention to social care is required in Canadian geriatric residential care facilities.