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Suicide risk is highest in later life; however, little is known about the risk of suicide among older adults in long‐term care facilities (e.g., nursing homes and assisted living facilities). The goal of this paper is to review and synthesize the descriptive and analytic epidemiology of suicide in long‐term care settings over the past 25 years.

Four databases (PubMed, CINAHL Plus, Web of Knowledge, and EBSCOHost Academic Search Complete) were searched for empirical studies of suicide risk in nursing homes, assisted living, and other residential facilities from 1985 to 2013. Of the 4073 unique research articles identified, 37 were selected for inclusion in this review.

Of the included reports, 21 were cross‐sectional, 8 cohort, 3 qualitative, and 5 intervention studies. Most studies indicate that suicidal thoughts (active and passive) are common among residents (prevalence in the past month: 5 …