Systematic review of aged care interventions for older prisoners

Objective: The care of older prisoners is a growing problem. This review examined aged care interventions in prisons. Methods: A systematic review was conducted following preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta‐analyses guidelines. A total of 1186 abstracts were screened for inclusion. Quantitative and qualitative studies were included. Results: Two quantitative studies and five qualitative studies examined aged care interventions (n = 7). An intervention involving physical health activities was not effective in reducing distress compared to a control, and an intervention of psychosocial, physical and spiritual health activities for veterans was not effective when compared to a comparison group. Qualitative analysis generated themes that apply to best practices: addressing older prisoners’ needs, identifying barriers for older prisoners and staff, considering the prison culture, program delivery and cultivating older prisoners and staff attitudes. Conclusion: This review found no significant interventions in prisons. However, the qualitative findings showed evidence of best practice.