This study consisted of a review of the needs of elderly persons and was conducted by Claudia Miranda, MICARE director; Beatriz Fernández, MICARE research associate; Raffaela Carvacho, and Marcela Carrasco.

Specifically, it describes the met and unmet needs, and the factors associated with them, on dependent elderly people living in the community or in institutions, according to the Camberwell Questionnaire of Needs for the Elderly (CANE). Medline, Scopus, Web of Science and CINAHL databases were used.

Main results:

The results indicate that unmet needs are found mostly in psychosocial areas and in the institutionalized population. Unmet needs are often associated with depressive symptoms, dependency in the elderly person, and caregiver overload.

Discrepancies were also identified between the needs perceived by elderly persons and those reported by formal and informal caregivers. It is important that professionals and caregivers strive to make elderly people’s perspectives and needs more visible.