Quality of life of nursing home residents with dementia: a comparison of perspectives of residents, family, and staff

Abstract

Purpose: Quality of Life (QoL) has become increasingly valued as a key outcome in dementia both in clinical practice and in research. This study compares the QoL of long-term residents with dementia as assessed by the individuals, their relatives, and their care staff.

Design and methods: Data on residents with dementia were collected in 11 nursing homes. The Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease Scale (QOL-AD) residential version was directly applied to residents with dementia diagnosis and Mini-Mental State Examination scores under 27, randomly selected in each canter. Residents' QoL was further assessed from the perspective of some close relative and of some staff member. Altogether, 102 data sets from residents, 184 from relatives, and 197 from staff members were collected.

Results: The completion rate for the resident QOL-AD was 48.8%. Residents' QoL ratings were significantly higher than proxies' ratings. Proxy (i.e., family and staff) scores in the QOL-AD tended to correlate with each other and did not correlate with resident scores.

Implications: Various sources of data provided different perspectives on resident's QoL. Each perspective is relatively independent and somewhat unique. In those patients with mild to moderate cognitive impairment, direct measures of QoL should be considered.