Access to Long-Term Care for Minority Populations: A Systematic Review

Abstract

It has been shown that there is disparity in access to long-term care and other services for minority populations. This study assessed long-term care access among older individuals belonging to minority populations including visible, ethnocultural, linguistic, and sexual minorities. Barriers and facilitators influencing admission were identified and evaluated. A search for articles from 10 databases published between January 2000 and January 2021 was conducted. Included studies evaluated factors affecting minority populations’ admission to long-term care, and non-residents’ perceptions of future admission. This review was registered with PROSPERO: CRD42018038662. Sixty included quantitative and qualitative studies, ranging in quality from fair to excellent. Findings suggest minority status is associated with reduced admission to long-term care, controlling for confounding variables. Barriers identified include discordant language, fear of discrimination, lack of information, and family obligations. Findings suggest that minority populations experienced barriers accessing long-term care and had unmet cultural and language needs while receiving care in this setting.

Building evidence to advance health equity: a systematic review on care-related outcomes for older, minoritised populations in long-term care homes

“…Health inequities experienced by older persons, particularly those belonging to minoritised groups have been well described in the existing literature [ 1 , 2 ]. Health equity is providing equal and just opportunity for all to obtain their full health potential, while disparities are systematic barriers or a lack of opportunity that prevents a disadvantaged social group from reaching their full health potential [ 3 ].…”