The Impact of Social Participation Interventions on Quality of Life of Older Adults in Residential Aged Care Facilities: A Systematic Review.

AIM: To examine the impact of social participation interventions on the quality of life of older adults in residential aged care home settings.

DESIGN

Systematic review.

METHODS

The inclusion criteria were articles published in English language between 2015 and 2025, peer-reviewed articles, availability of full-text, and conducted in residential aged care home settings, aged 65 years and over. Quality appraisal of articles was conducted using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.

DATA SOURCES: A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, PsycINFO, and CINAHL.

RESULTS

Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. Four studies showed correlations between quality of life scores and social participation engagement during activities involving virtual reality tourism, resistance training, Sinaki exercises, and combined person-centred care with social interaction. Improvements in quality of life were associated with six interventions including virtual reality tourism, resistance training, Sinaki exercises, tai chi exercise, and two distinct multicomponent person-centred care programmes involving pain management, communication, organisation of activities and medication review. Quality appraisal showed studies were of moderate to high quality.

CONCLUSIONS

The review identified several social participation interventions that were associated with enhanced quality of life for older adults in residential aged care homes. Adoption of these interventions, including a multi-component approach, is recommended to optimise resident outcomes.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No Patient or Public Contribution was involved in this study.

IMPACT: Evidence on the effectiveness of social participation interventions on quality of life in aged care homes remains limited and fragmented. This review identified six key interventions that improve aged care residents' quality of life, offering valuable insights for policies and practices aimed at enhancing the quality of life of residents in residential aged care homes.

REPORTING METHOD: This systematic review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines and was reported according to the SWiM (Synthesis Without Meta-analysis) reporting guideline recommended by the EQUATOR Network.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/myprospero; identifier: CRD420250646145.