Out-of-pocket expenses related to aging in place for frail older people: a scoping review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to describe the available evidence reporting out-of-pocket expenses for aging-in-place for frail older people and their caregivers.

Introduction: There has been an increased focus on supporting frail older people to live in the community, rather than in costly long-term residential care. The out-of-pocket expenses associated with supporting older people with frailty to remain in their homes and communities contribute to caregiver burden and can influence decisions about where to live.

Inclusion criteria: This scoping review will consider literature on community-dwelling older people 60 years and older who have been identified as frail. Research and policy papers that report the out-of-pocket expenses incurred by older people with frailty or by their family or friend caregivers to support aging well at home will be included. Studies in English will be considered with no date restriction.

Methods: The search strategy aims to find both published and unpublished literature (e.g. policy papers, theses and dissertations). Search databases include CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, and Public Affairs Index, as well as databases of unpublished sources. The language will be limited to English or French. Title and abstract screening, as well as full-text screening, will be completed by two reviewers. Data will be charted to describe the body of literature focusing on elements such as type of literature, methods used, setting and out-of-pocket expenses. Data will be presented graphically when possible, and accompanied by a narrative that describes the characteristics of the body of literature.