Destitute and dying: interventions and models of palliative and end of life care for homeless adults – a systematic review

Abstract

BackgroundHomeless adults experience a significant symptom burden when living with a life-limiting illness and nearing the end of life. This increases the inequalities that homeless adults face while coping with a loss of rootedness in the world. There is a lack of palliative and end of life care provision specifically adapted to meet their needs, exacerbating their illness and worsening the quality of their remaining life.AimTo identify interventions and models of care used to address the palliative and end of life care needs of homeless adults, and to determine their effectiveness.MethodsStandard systematic reviewing methods were followed, searching from 1 January 2000 the databases: Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, CINAHL and PsycInfo. Results were reported following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and described using a narrative synthesis. Study quality was assessed using Hawker’s Quality Assessment Tool.ResultsNine studies primarily focused on: education and palliative training for support staff; advance care planning; a social model for hospice care; and the creation of new roles to provide extra support to homeless adults through health navigators, homeless champions or palliative outreach teams. The voices of those experiencing homelessness were rarely included.ConclusionWe identified key components of care to optimise the support for homeless adults needing palliative and end of life care: advocacy; multidisciplinary working; professional education; and care in the community. Future research must include the perspectives of those who are homeless.