The impact of COVID-19 on healthcare facilities for older adults

Introduction Covid-19 drown the attention of researchers to health problems in nursing homes and healthcare facilities for older adults. Often, the elderly who live in those settings often have high levels of impairment and chronic illness, so they are more susceptible to coronavirus. Therefore, a Systematic Literature Review was conducted to explore which built environment mostly impacted the health and well-being of residents during the pandemic period. Purpose/Methods Relevant articles were identified by searching on the SCOPUS and Web of Science databases. Studies based on the impact of the built environment on elderly residents living in healthcare facilities during the COVID-19 period were included. Articles focus solely on the clinic aspect was excluded. Results The initial research finds out 197 papers, and, after the application of eligibility criteria and the full-text reading, 13 studies were selected. Almost two-thirds (8) are theoretical studies. Physical health like infection control has emerged as the most common concern (11) as well as mortality. Built environment factors, such as location, size of the facility, type of rooms, number of residents, air quality, temperature, localization of office space, were also presented as risk factors for the health and well-being of users. Conclusions The research shows a lack of studies about mental health, while 11 studies focus on physical health, only 2 mentioned mental perspective, even if it is one of the main factors influencing the well-being of vulnerable people, and consequently, more research with regards to emergency pandemic need to be explored.