Supporting older people’s moves between different care settings: a scoping review

Context: Moves between care settings in later life present significant challenges for older people. Social care practitioners play a significant role in supporting these moves, but sometimes lack the skills, confidence and resources to meet the needs of older people and their carers.

Objectives: To identify and synthesise unmet move-related needs of older people, the approaches used by social care practitioners, and ways to improve move-related practice.

Methods: We searched 7 electronic databases and grey literature from 25 websites, screening 8535 records published between 2010 and 2021.

Findings: Thematic synthesis of 39 documents focussed on two themes: (1) challenges and unmet needs of older people and their carers, particularly during the planning, decision-making and moving in stages; and (2) insights from good practice schemes and ways to improve move-related social care practice. These include applying a person-centred approach, involving older people and their carers in planning and decision-making, adopting proactive approaches, exploring alternatives to care homes, promoting effective communication and information sharing, and ensuring continuity of care and cross-sector coordination throughout moves.

Limitations: The chosen inclusion criteria resulted in the omission of potentially interesting insights regarding short-term intermediate care and post-move long-term settlement in new settings.

Implications: The review highlights the critical need for comprehensive support and guidance during older people’s moves between care settings. It emphasises the importance of practice-oriented information and evidence-based approaches to support older people, their carers, and social care practitioners throughout these transitions.