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Older adults living alone in the community with no immediate family network or support are referred in the literature as ‘elder orphans’. The grey literature has a growing emphasis on the importance of supporting this vulnerable group, particularly with health and social care. However, there is a dearth of empirical research on ‘elder orphans’, and definitions remained semantically complicated and unknown to the public, healthcare professionals and those being referred as elder orphans. This research explored the views of older adults on the use of the terminology ‘elder orphans’, and the implications of using the terminology in health and social care systems. A descriptive qualitative approach through face‐to‐face interviews of 11 older adults was undertaken in Auckland, New Zealand in October 2018. Narratives were analysed using thematic analysis. Two themes were identified from the analysis of interview data. The first theme was ‘realistic and practical term’, which emphasised the participants’ impression of the term ‘elder orphan’ resonating to themselves with great relevance to their current and future situations. The second theme is ‘visibility and vulnerability’, which highlighted participants’ both positive and ambivalent views on the use of the terminology in healthcare settings. The participants viewed this terminology as beneficial to alerting care services, and in promoting awareness among healthcare providers. Older adults from the study, who are living alone without immediate family networks and support self‐identified themselves as ‘elder orphans’ through a gradual realisation of their current and anticipated social situations. The use of the term within healthcare was considered and preferred by the participants to be used contextually, and targeted towards appropriate health and social care services within and outside hospital‐care settings.

Literature reviews on elder orphans recommended the need of an in-depth exploration of health care and social issues from their actual experiences. This article explores the experiences of elder orphans living independently in the community on their own with no immediate or close family support. The study utilized a qualitative descriptive approach through face-to-face interviews. Two main themes emerged from the data. The first theme was “advance plans” with the subthemes (a) my to-do list and (b) the right timing. The second theme identified was “informal support network” with the subthemes (a) family is right here and (b) familiarized support system. These findings offered insights on how existing informal networks influence elder orphans’ consideration for advance directives in terms of timing. Moreover, the findings have identified the extent of which informal support network has been received by elder orphans. Currently, the support threshold of these informal networks is unknown, which warrants further research.

Older adults from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds are increasingly identified within mainstream aging populations. However, few studies have focused on CALD older adults' views and experiences in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). The current integrative review aimed to achieve a contemporary understanding through synthesized evidence from studies focusing on CALD older adults in mainstream LTCFs. Two major categories were identified-Views About LTCFs, which included two subcategories: (a) the last stop and no other choice and (b) reasons for admission or transfer; and Experiences of Living in LTCFs, which also included two subcategories: (a) desire to remain connected to personal routines and (b) maintaining identity through native language. CALD older adults have differing perspectives about LTCFs, which are influenced by their cultural backgrounds and values. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of ethno-specific LTCFs. Establishing culturally appropriate services for CALD older adults in LTCFs, particularly in mainstream facilities, should emphasize cultural accommodation among residents, health care providers, and staff. [Res Gerontol Nurs. 2018; 11(5):265-276.].