Social connection in long-term care homes: A scoping review of published research on the mental health impacts and potential strategies during COVID-19 (Canada)

Project status

Complete

Contact

Jennifer Bethell

Institution web page

https://kite-uhn.com/

Host institution

The Kite Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network

Team members

Jennifer Bethell (KITE, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada), Katelynn Aelick (Behavioural Supports Ontario Provincial Coordinating Office, North Bay Regional Health Centre, Canada), Jessica Babineau (Library and Information Services, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada), Monica Bretzlaff (Behavioural Supports Ontario Provincial Coordinating Office, North Bay Regional Health Centre, Canada), Cathleen Edwards (Family Councils Ontario, Canada), Josie-Lee Gibson (Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils, Canada), Debbie Hewitt Colborne, Behavioural Supports Ontario Provincial Coordinating Office, North Bay Regional Health Centre, Canada), Andrea Iaboni (KITE, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada) Dee Lender (Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils, Canada), Denise Schon (Lakeside Long Term Care Family Council, Toronto, Canada), Katherine McGilton (KITE, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada)

Funding information (if funded)

This research was supported by a “Knowledge Synthesis: COVID-19 in Mental Health and Substance Use” operating grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Project Summary

We conducted a scoping review 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. 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 papers that informed these strategies.

Outputs / Expected Outputs

This review is summarized with:

1) an academic publication published in the Journal of Post-Acute and Long Term Care Medicine (JAMDA) on 26th November 2020:

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

https://www.jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(20)30991-9/fulltext

(2) an infographic published on the ENCOAR (Enhancing the Care of the Older Adult) Team website. EnCOAR is a research team at KITE Research Institute:

https://www.encoarteam.com/s/EN-FR.pdf

(3) a report published on the ENCOAR Team website:

https://www.encoarteam.com/s/EN-FR-Report.pdf

The infographic and report are available in English and French.

Project website