Impact of Home Visit & Rehabilitation Programs on Elderly People Living Alone: A Systematic Review

The solitary elderly grew from 19.5% in 2019 to 20.6% in 2021, facing social isolation and health risks. Tailoring rehabilitation programs for them is vital, addressing both mental issues like depression and physical health concerns. This research is crucial in the field of occupational therapy as it aims to understand and address the comprehensive needs of solitary elderly individuals. This research is a descriptive systematic review aimed at understanding the emotional, physical improvement, and quality of life changes in solitary elderly individuals following home visits and rehabilitation programs. From January 2012 to December 2022, papers registered in the online databases of PubMed, Embase, and RISS were searched. Search terms included ‘living alone’, ‘older adults’, ‘rehabilitation’, ‘home visit’, and ‘program’. In total, 1,759 studies were retrieved. After an independent review of the full texts by two researchers and further analysis based on inclusion and exclusion criteria from the abstracts, a total of 6 studies were ultimately selected. In six studies, the effectiveness of programs for the elderly living alone was reviewed. The average age of the subjects was 67.8 to 86.1 years, and the program consisted of various forms such as exercise, nutrition management, and behavioral medicine. There were four home visit studies and two center visit studies. The experimental group showed better results in emotional and physical health than the control group, and the effect was measured using various evaluation tools. Home visits had a positive impact on the health of the elderly living alone, and the rehabilitation program was different depending on the number, time, and content of the subjects. The study results indicated that setting the program time and providing customized content are important. The results of this study are expected to contribute to better program development and practical application.

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