Supporting the Mental Health of Older Adults Transitioning into Residential Aged Care: A Review of Psychological Interventions to Reduce Relocation Stress

Background:
The transition from living at home into residential aged care (RAC) is internationally recognised as a significant life event. This period of change profoundly affects an older person’s roles, routines, responsibilities, relationships, and sense of self, and is associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Aim:
This presentation showcases the findings of our team's recently published systematic scoping review which identifies the pre-transition period (i.e., before a person moves into care) as an opportunity for early intervention and highlights critical gaps in psychological interventions aimed at reducing relocation stress during this period.
Methods:
The systematic scoping review rigorously evaluated the published literature to identify psychological interventions targeting the transition into RAC.
Results:
The review identified a significant gap in interventions tailored to the pre-transition phase, potentially contributing to sustained levels of depression and anxiety among newly relocated RAC residents. It highlights the need for co-designed evidence-informed interventions to reduce the psychological burden of transitioning into RAC.
Conclusions/ Implications:
To address the gaps identified in the review, a collaboration between Charles Sturt University, Federation University, the National Ageing Research Institute, Uniting AgeWell, and St Agnes Care and Lifestyle was formed. From this collaboration, the ON-TRAC study emerged as an innovative response to the gaps revealed in the scoping review. The ON-TRAC project, funded by The Ian Potter Foundation and will run from 2024-2028.