The Relationship Between Chronic Diseases and Quality of Life of Elderly Residing in Nursing Homes Across Guilan

Abstract

Background: Elderly’s quality of life involves many factors, among which chronic diseases are of the most important. On the other hand, elderly residing in nursing homes are a group of elderly, who need special attention. Objectives: the present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between chronic diseases and quality of life for elderly residing at nursing homes across Guilan province, Iran. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on elderly residing in nursing homes across Guilan province, during year 2016. Through a stratified random sampling approach, 180 elderly, aged 60 and older were selected from nursing homes. The data gathering tool was SF36 quality of life questionnaire, demographic information checklist and records of engaging with chronic diseases attained via face-to-face interviews. In order to analyze the gathered data, SPSS 16 Software, Pearson correlation, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and t test were utilized. Significance level was set at P < 0.05. Results: Mean and standard deviation of the quality of life scores for the elderly residing in nursing homes was 62.6 (± 25.30). In all sub-scales, mean quality of life was significantly different from chronical diseases (P < 0.05). This research further indicated that mean quality of life was significantly related to age and marital status (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The present research showed that an increase in the number of chronic diseases results in a reduction in the elderly’s quality of life. As such, it is necessary to undertake training programs in communities and modify lifestyle to maintain and even enhance elderly’s quality of life.