Collective and Culturally Grounded Resilience in Aged Residential Care: Lessons From COVID-19 a Narrative Review of Literature

Abstract

This narrative literature review examined how older adults in aged residential care (ARC) navigated the psychosocial disruptions of COVID-19 lockdowns to identify strategies to strengthen resilience in post-pandemic nursing practice. Guided by the PRISMA-ScR framework, studies published between 2020 and 2025 were retrieved from CINAHL, PubMed, ProQuest, and Scopus using the keywords aged care, residential care, coping, COVID-19, and resilience. Ten peer-reviewed studies met inclusion criteria. Data was charted and thematically analysed to identify patterns in coping, connection, and cultural responsiveness. Findings indicated that residents and staff fostered resilience through structured routines, technology-enabled connection, staff and peer support, and culturally grounded practices. Relational autonomy and culturally responsive care were central to sustaining psychosocial resilience. Community studies revealed greater reliance on individual coping strategies underscoring the unique challenges of institutional settings. Digital inclusion emerged as both a facilitator of connection and a mechanism for maintaining culturally meaningful engagement. These findings suggest that resilience in ARC is a collective, relational, and culturally mediated process. Post-pandemic nursing must integrate psychosocial care, cultural responsiveness, and digital inclusion as routine components of best practice aged care. Te reo Māori translation Te pakari ā-rōpū, i takea mai i te ahurea i roto i ngā kāinga tautiaki kaumātua: Ngā akoranga mai i COVID-19. He arotake mātākōrero ā-reo paki Ngā Ariā Matua I āta mātai tēnei arotake mātākōrero he pēhea ngā taipakeke i roto i ngā kāinga tautiaki kaumātua (aged residential care ARC) i whakatere ai i ngā auakitanga ā-pāpori, ā-hinengaro o ngā whakatepenga o COVID-19 hei tautohu i ngā rautaki whakapiki pakaritanga i roto i ngā tikanga tapuhi i muri i ngā urutā. Nā runga i te ārahitanga o te anga PRISMA-ScR framework, I i tīkina atu ngā mātainga i whakaputaina i waenga i 2020 me 2025 mai i CINAHL, i PubMed, i ProQuest, me Scopus nā te whakamahi i ngā kupu matua aged care, residential care, coping, COVID-19, me resilience. I tutuki ngā paearu whakauru i ētahi mātainga tekau kua āta arotake aropātia. I tuhia ngā raraunga ki ētahi tūtohi, ā, i āta tātaritia hei tautohu tauira mō te eke ki runga i ngā uauatanga, te hononga me te urupare ahurea. Ko ngā tūtohu o ngā kitenga, i kaha te hunga noho i ngā kāinga nei me ngā kaimahi ki te whakapiki i tō rātou pakari nā ngā wātaka i āta hangaia, ngā hononga mā roto i ngā hangarau te tautoko a ngā kaimahi me ngā hoa, me ngā tikanga mahi i takea mai i te ahurea. He mea hira hoki te pararau me te urupare tika ā-ahurea mō te pupuru i te pakari ā-pāpori, ā-hinengaro hoki. Nā ngā mātainga ā-hapori i whakaatu tētahi whirinakitanga kaha kē atu ki ngā rautaki eke uauatanga takitahi, ā, hei whakaū tēnei i ngā wero o ngā horopaki whare noho nui. I puea ake ko te whāinga wāhi matihiko hei mea whakangāwari i te hononga, hei ara hoki kia piki tonu me te pai o te whāinga tika o te hono ki te ahurea. Nā ēnei kitenga i whakaatu ko te pakaritanga i roto i ngā kāinga tautiaki kaumātua he āhuatanga mō te rōpū nui, he wāhi nui nui tō te hononga, me te kawe i ngā mahi mā roto i te ahurea. Me haere ngātahi te taurimatanga ā-hinengaro, ā-pāpori, te urupare ahurea me te whāinga wāhi matihiko hei wāhanga ia rā o ngā mahi tautiaki kaumātua pai rawa, i roto i ngā mahi tapuhi i muri i tētahi urutā.