Quality of life in nursing homes following the group-living principle: a pilot study measuring the quality of life from the subjective perspective of dependent-living elderly.

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to analyze the subjective quality of life in elderly people in nursing homes following the group-living principle.

METHODS

The Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) was employed. A comparison with the German representative subsample of elderly living independently age-group over 75 was conducted. Psychometric properties and appropriateness were analyzed.

RESULTS

The mean NHP scale scores suggest an acceptable perception of residents' quality of life (n = 145). Our findings indicate that with exception of the NHP scale physical mobility, the perceived quality of life of group-living nursing home residents and independently living elderly over 75 years (German reference values) are nearly on the same level. With the exception of the subscale social isolation, the results of the current study show that the NHP is suitable for assessing the subjective quality of life in nursing home environments.

CONCLUSION

The results of the first pilot study in the research field of subjective quality of life in group-living nursing homes are presented. The study focused on very old people with age-specific reduced physical and mental abilities. The NHP should also be considered as a reliable, valid and useful alternative to resident satisfaction surveys.