Aim

The aim of this review was to examine the relevant health
literature, to describe safety in the homes of older and older people's
perceptions and understanding of their safety at home based on current
literature.

Background

Safety is a multifaceted, basic need of older people living
at home. Many studies are hospital focused and few focus on safety at home.
Research on the safety of older people at home appears to be under‐researched.

Methods

MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science databases from
the earliest to August 2017 were investigated. The integrative literature
review was conducted in December 2017. The full text of the remaining n = 93
papers was then screened for relevance by inclusion and exclusion criteria
which reduced the number by 59 to n = 34.

Results

Four dimensions of safety at home were discovered, namely
physical, social, emotional and mental, and cognitive safety. Safety dimensions
had both positive and negative components. Older people's main wish was to be
able to live in their own home for as long as possible. Their perceptions of
safety at home was categorised as active living, coping at home, managed living
and the knowledge of the existence of disease.

Conclusions

The safety of older people at home is a worldwide concern.
Identification of safety issues can assist in developing measures to help
people stay at home for longer as they age. The management of this would need
to take account of all four dimensions of safety, in ways that promote ageing
at home.

Implications for practice

Learning, understanding and developing new strategies about
safety affect everyone who visits the home of older people, and stakeholders
have an important role to identify safety risks.