A qualitative systematic review of experiences of persons with dementia regarding transition to long-term care

Introduction: The current qualitative systematic review identified and examined critically the literature on how persons with dementia experience transitions to long-term care. Results are intended to help develop guidelines for future care and research.

Method: A search was conducted of OvidSP, SCOPUS, Web of Science, ProQuest, PsycINFO, CINAHL, AgeLine and Informit databases. In total, 4705 articles were reviewed (published 1954–2018). A textual narrative approach was used to synthesise the findings of the included articles.

Results: Seven articles met inclusion criteria (five using data collected from interviews with persons with dementia and two using reports from a proxy). Overall, the findings showed that transition to long-term care possesses varied meanings for persons with dementia, is often not the decision of the persons with dementia, and is a process throughout which social connections remain important.

Discussion: Accounts of the experiences of persons with dementia regarding transitions from community to long-term care show that they and their families should be supported: with respect to their individual contexts, to share the positives and negatives of the transition experiences, to make decisions together, and to maintain old and establish new social connections.