Consumer expectations of residential aged care: reflections on the literature.

The decision-making process that accompanies aged-care home placement is complex and there is a paucity of literature documenting the experiences of those who undertake the activity. The deficiency extends to an understanding of consumer expectations about the quality of the services they encounter once admission has been obtained. Although fewer than 7% of Australian women and 3% of Australian men aged 65 years occupied residential aged care places in 1999-2000, the probability that they will do so at some point in their lives is 0.42 and 0.24, respectively. This study examined 20 papers on this subject found through an extensive search of the literature. Themes identified include the search and selection process of residential aged-care facilities, consumer expectations and satisfaction of placement outcomes, and global and community expectations of quality of care.