Health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in nursing home residents with dementia: Stability and relationships among measures

Abstract

Assessing QOL in nursing home residents with dementia is potentially unreliable or invalid due to their reduced ability to understand and respond to test items. This study measured aspects of health-related QOL (cognition, activities of daily living [ADLs], pain, depression, frequency of problem behaviours, and nursing home satisfaction) in nursing home residents with dementia. The purpose of this analysis was to examine the stability of the measures over time, possible relationships between the measures, and possible differences among proxy and resident responses. Six nursing homes provided the setting for the testing. A total of 105 residents with dementia and 90 nursing assistants participated. Results showed stability over time for all measures. Cognition was positively correlated with ADL ability, and negatively correlated with problem behaviours. Nursing assistants' reports of resident depressive symptoms were positively correlated with their reports of resident problem behaviours. Residents' own reports of depressive symptoms were negatively correlated with nursing home satisfaction. There was no relationship between resident self-reports and nursing assistant proxy reports of depressive symptoms at either testing period.