Exploring the Experiences of Community-Dwelling Older Adults Participating in Group Interaction Programs: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.

Aim: To synthesise evidence from qualitative studies on community-dwelling older adults' experiences of social interactions in group interaction programmes.

Design: A systematic review and meta-synthesis based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis guidelines.

Methods: Two independent researchers screened the titles and abstracts of all retrieved studies based on eligibility criteria. Quality appraisal was conducted based on the comprehensive Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist. Data were extracted through an adapted Data Extraction Tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Instrument. Findings were synthesised through the JBI meta-aggregation approach.

Data sources: A literature search for peer-reviewed studies was conducted across seven databases from inception to September 2023.

Results: Our review included the experiences of 395 community-dwelling older adults across 25 studies, yielding the overarching theme of 'Navigating relationships and facilitating growth in a supportive community'. Five themes were identified: feeling safe in a familiar environment, bringing people together, establishing meaningful relationships, improving personal well-being and facing socialising challenges.

Conclusion: Our findings provided not just theoretical insights but also practical implications. They can serve as a solid foundation for formulating or enhancing similar programmes, directly addressing the pervasive issues of loneliness and social isolation among the ageing population worldwide.

Implications for nursing: This review improves our understanding of the social, emotional and personal benefits for older adults upon engaging in group interaction programmes. The insights into the elements of successful group interaction programmes for older adults, include providing a safe and familiar setting and bringing people together for socialisation. Future interventions should incorporate these elements to promote social interactions and community engagement more effectively to mitigate loneliness among older adults. Finally, the diverse range of programmes explored in this review demonstrates that future programmes can be flexibly formulated to suit different interests.

Patient and public contribution: The authors have nothing to report.

Protocol registration: The review protocol has been registered on PROSPERO.