title: Carers' experiences when the person for whom they have been caring enters a residential aged care facility permanently: a systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary research, including qualitative research, as well as experts working in social services and aged care have identified the mixed feelings carers experience when the person they have been caring for is admitted into a residential aged care facility permanently. They have raised the importance of understanding these experiences as a means to implementing policies and programs that enhance carers' well-being. This systematic review was motivated by the need to use evidence to inform effective and feasible interventions to support carers, and the absence of a systematic review synthesizing the qualitative evidence on how carers experience this transition.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this qualitative systematic review was to identify and synthesize the evidence on the experiences of carers of older people when the person they had been providing care for is admitted permanently into a residential aged care facility, and to draw recommendations from the synthesis of the evidence on these experiences to enhance policy and programming aimed at supporting affected caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  All carers of people who had experienced the person they had been caring for at home being moved into a residential aged care facility permanently.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experiences of the caregiver of the older person when the person they have been caring for at home is admitted into a residential aged care facility permanently. TYPES OF STUDIES: The review considered qualitative studies, including but not limited to designs such as phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography and action research. TYPES OF OUTCOMES: The outcomes are in the form of synthesized findings pertaining to carers' experiences when the person they have been caring for is admitted into a residential aged care facility permanently.
  
  
  METHODS
  A comprehensive search of leading databases which are sources of qualitative published and unpublished studies was conducted between 18 September 2013 and 10 November 2013. The search considered studies reported in English and published from the database inception to 10 November 2013.
  
  
  METHODS
  Papers selected for retrieval were assessed by two independent reviewers for methodological validity prior to inclusion in the review using the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were extracted from identified papers using the standardized data extraction tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument. The data extracted included descriptive details about the phenomena of interest, populations and study methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Joanna Briggs Institute meta-aggregative approach for synthesizing qualitative evidence was used. Research findings were pooled using the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument. Study findings that were supported by the data in primary studies were organized into categories on the basis of similarity of meaning. These categories were then subjected to a meta-synthesis to produce a set of synthesized findings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fourteen studies matched the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. From these 14 studies a total of 71 study findings about how carers experience the transition when the person they have been caring for is TRUNCATED AT 500 WORDS.
authors.affiliation: Joanna Briggs Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Janelle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.affiliation: Joanna Briggs Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide, Australia.|Centre of Research Excellence in Aboriginal Chronic Disease Knowledge Translation and Exchange, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Judith Streak
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Gomersall
authors.affiliation: Joanna Briggs Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Jared
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: School of Arts and Social Sciences, Southern Cross University, Gold Coast, Australia.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D004645:Empathy; D006801:Humans; D012112:Residential Facilities
keywords: Carers of elderly; experiences; qualitative; residential aged care facility; separation