TY - JOUR

T1 - Exploring overnight social care for older adults: a scoping review

AU - Boyle, Naomi

AU - Seddon, Diane

AU - Toms, Gill

PY - 2023/12/1

Y1 - 2023/12/1

N2 - PurposeDemand for care at home is growing because of the increase in life expectancy, an ageing population and the chronic conditions that often accompany longevity. Daytime care at home services have been widely reported on, but less is known about overnight care at home. This paper aims to gather evidence about overnight social care for older adults in their homes.Design/methodology/approachRecent studies were identified through searches in three electronic databases. Studies published in English between January 2016 and June 2022 exploring overnight care at home for older adults were eligible for inclusion. An additional Google search identified home care services within the UK currently providing overnight support.FindingsThe review retrieved five relevant papers, highlighting the paucity of research in this area. A narrative review of the literature identified common themes that suggested domiciliary night care staff play an integral role in meeting the overnight care and support needs of older adults who wish to be cared for at home. Despite the limited evidence base in this area, the Google search for UK domiciliary services who provide overnight support identified several active programmes.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first scoping review exploring the provision of overnight social care to older adults in their own homes. The review highlights the need for further research to inform commissioning and practice development.

AB - PurposeDemand for care at home is growing because of the increase in life expectancy, an ageing population and the chronic conditions that often accompany longevity. Daytime care at home services have been widely reported on, but less is known about overnight care at home. This paper aims to gather evidence about overnight social care for older adults in their homes.Design/methodology/approachRecent studies were identified through searches in three electronic databases. Studies published in English between January 2016 and June 2022 exploring overnight care at home for older adults were eligible for inclusion. An additional Google search identified home care services within the UK currently providing overnight support.FindingsThe review retrieved five relevant papers, highlighting the paucity of research in this area. A narrative review of the literature identified common themes that suggested domiciliary night care staff play an integral role in meeting the overnight care and support needs of older adults who wish to be cared for at home. Despite the limited evidence base in this area, the Google search for UK domiciliary services who provide overnight support identified several active programmes.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first scoping review exploring the provision of overnight social care to older adults in their own homes. The review highlights the need for further research to inform commissioning and practice development.

KW - care at home

KW - community care

KW - domicillary care

KW - night care

KW - support

KW - scoping review

U2 - https://doi.org/10.1108/QAOA-11-2022-0070

DO - https://doi.org/10.1108/QAOA-11-2022-0070

M3 - Article

VL - 24

SP - 127

EP - 138

JO - Quality in Ageing and Older Adults

JF - Quality in Ageing and Older Adults

SN - 1471-7794

IS - 4

ER -