HOME CARE FOR DEPENDENT OLDER PEOPLE: A SCOPING REVIEW

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: There is little evidence that investigates the psychosocial aspects of care, considering the perspective of those who care for dependent older people (OP) to design suitable interventions for informal caregivers and OP. OBJECTIVE: To synthesize the available evidence around home care available for dependent older people with a strong emphasis on informal caregivers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search of articles published in the last 10 years (January 2012 to January 2022) was conducted in two peer-reviewed databases. A total of 116 articles were identified and 42 articles were reviewed. RESULTS: The identified results were grouped into: (1) factors that influence the burden or quality of life of the caregiver, (2) care needs in the dyad, (3) interventions or recommendations for care for the dyad, (4) use of care support networks (informal and formal). CONCLUSIONS: The implications for clinical practice of this review involve delving into the felt needs of caregivers and connection with the state and territorial network. This directly impacts the factors that influence the caregiver's perception of overload, as well as her quality of life. Investigating the role of the caregiver through the generation of robust evidence is still a pending task.