A Systematic Review of the Impact of Environmental Factors on Older People’s Quality of Life in Residential Care Facilities

It has been well recognised that the physical environment plays an important role in supporting older people with frail health in residential care facilities (RCFs). This systematic review explored both quantitative and qualitative evidence of the effects of various environmental factors on older people′s quality of life (QoL) in RCFs. A total of 33 studies were included, which were retrieved from 3798 articles searched using nine important databases. Key findings are listed as follows. Nine environmental domains, comprising 34 factors, were identified through thematic analysis within the RCFs, including basic building characteristics, indoor spaces, facilities and furniture, ambient environment, privacy, maintenance, outdoor spaces, local community and safety. Relationships between key environmental factors and various QoL domains were identified. Specifically, environmental factors were associated with overall QoL (21 factors), physical health (seven), psychological health (one), level of independence (five), social relationships (four) and environmental satisfaction (10). The evidence in this review may contribute to the development of design and guidelines for the physical environment in RCFs and support the decision makers in RCFs to improve the quality of environmental factors and residents′ QoL.