Quality of Life and Social Engagement in Long-Term Care
Summary
Quality of life in long-term care encompasses residents’ physical health, psychological well-being, autonomy and meaningful social relationships. Increasingly, research highlights social engagement—participation in communal activities, one-to-one interactions and connections with family, peers and staff—as a central determinant of overall well-being. Institutional culture, care models and environmental design can either foster or inhibit opportunities for engagement. Person-centred approaches that attend to individual histories, preferences and abilities are shown to enhance a sense of belonging and dignity. Practical strategies range from activity programming and staff training in communication skills to the use of digital platforms that promote interaction. In a global context of ageing populations and workforce constraints, evidence supports multifaceted interventions that integrate social, emotional and physical dimensions to improve both quality of life and health outcomes among long-term care residents.
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Quality of Life and Social Engagement in Long-Term Care publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in quality of life and social engagement in long-term care across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Quality of life: A multidimensional construct reflecting physical health, psychological state, level of independence, social relationships and relationship to salient features of the environment.
Social engagement: The extent and quality of an individual’s participation in social activities, relationships and community life, which contributes to emotional well-being and cognitive stimulation.
Person-centred care: An approach that prioritises the preferences, values and needs of individuals, tailoring care plans to enhance autonomy, dignity and meaningful participation.
Narrative quality instrument: A structured method for collecting and analysing personal narratives to inform quality improvement by eliciting resident perspectives and guiding collaborative action.
References
- Social connection and physical health outcomes among long-term care home residents: a scoping review. BMC Geriatrics (2021).
- Learning as a way of achieving quality improvement in long-term care: A qualitative evaluation of The Story as a Quality Instrument. Nurse Education in Practice (2023).
- Effective Relationships Between Younger Caregivers and Older Care Recipients Across a Continuum of Formal Residential Care Settings: A Scoping Review and a Critical Analysis. Public Health Reviews (2024).
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