The impact on mental health of older adults with Alzheimer’s disease in a longterm care facility

Abstract

Overview of the topic: Alzheimer’s diseases is estimated to be the most prevalent dementia amongst older adults. Due to the progression of the disease, admission to long-term care may be necessary. In this literature review, the aim is to explore whether the mental health of the older adults with Alzheimer’s disease is affected when residing in a long-term care facility. The research question: How does living in a long-term care facility impact the mental health of older adults with Alzheimer’s disease? PEO elements: The studied population (P) was older adults with Alzheimer’s disease. The exposure (E) was residing in a long-term care facility. The outcome (O) was to explore the impact on the mental health of the studied population. Method: The key terms were identified from the key elements of the PEO question and were used to generate alternative terms/phrases. The Boolean operators were applied for combining the key terms/phrases. Limiters were used to narrow down the search and filter the attained results. The combined terms/phrases were searched in multiple databases. Irrelevant articles were excluded by using the PRISMA 2009 checklist. The eligibility of the articles was assessed by applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The Joan Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools were used for critical analysis of the literature. Results: A total of five key studies were selected, including two prospective longitudinal studies and three cross-sectional studies. Low significant results were observed in the prospective studies regarding the mental health of the studied population, however in the three cross-sectional studies, the results were significantly high. Thus, inconsistency of findings in the study results was perceived. Conclusion: A definite conclusion could not be attained although by the conveyed evidence, it was pointed out that the mental health of the studied population is affected whilst residing in long-term care. However, more research is required in this area of study. Implications and recommendations: Early diagnosis of mental health and other correlating problems can prevent or diminish deterioration by applying timely and appropriate interventions. Continuous education and providing updated information to the studied population, general public and professional health workers is utterly important. Whereas long-term care facilities need to provide a dementia-friendly environment. Hence further research is required to explore other factors which may affect the mental health of the studied population.