Social Interactions Between People Living With Dementia and Staff in Health and Social Care Settings: A Scoping Review.

Dementia is an umbrella term for progressive conditions affecting memory, thinking, communication and other cognitive functions. These changes can make social interaction challenging, particularly in unfamiliar or overstimulating environments. Although social interactions between staff and people living with dementia are recognised as an aspect of care, existing literature across health and social care settings largely focuses on general care needs and experiences rather than social interaction specifically. Consequently, there is limited understanding of the types of social interactions that occur and the contextual factors influencing them. This scoping review aims to address this gap by mapping existing research on social interactions between staff and people living with dementia in health and social care settings, to inform future research and care models. It addresses two questions: What types of social interactions take place between staff and people living with dementia? What barriers and facilitators influence these interactions? Searches were conducted across Social Policy and Practice, Medline, EMCare, Embase, Google Scholar, and the websites of the King's Fund and the World Health Organization, covering publications from 1997 to the present. Nineteen articles from eight countries met the inclusion criteria, with most employing qualitative methods. Five themes were identified: the nature of staff-resident social interactions; organisational care culture; organisational resources; the physical environment; and staff training and development. Findings highlight a notable gap in evidence relating to social interactions in clinically focused environments such as acute hospitals. Future research should examine how care contexts balance biomedical and psychosocial priorities, alongside the continued need for staff training in effective communication. Overall, the evidence indicates a necessary shift toward person centred organisational cultures that recognise social interaction as a core therapeutic component of dementia care.