Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T10:25:33.991Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Quality of Life in the Nursing Home: Perspectives of Younger and Older Residents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

Ashli Watt  and
Candace Konnert
Ashli Watt
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Calgary
Candace Konnert*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Calgary
*
Requests for offprints should be sent to: / Les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à : Correspondence regarding this article should be sent to : Candace Konnert, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary AB T2N 1N4. ([email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Adults aged 65 and younger make up a significant proportion of nursing-home residents. To date, however, there is no research examining their quality of life (QOL), including how their perceptions of QOL compare to those of older nursing-home residents. This study used a multidimensional approach to (a) assess the QOL of younger nursing-home residents and its relationship to health, social support, and leisure activities; and (b) compare the QOLs of younger and older residents. The sample consisted of 43 younger residents (M = 53.7 years) and 38 older residents (M = 79.92 years). Results indicate that there were no age differences in QOL, suggesting the need for a broad conceptualization of QOL in the nursing-home population.

Résumé

Les adultes âgés de 65 ans et moins forment une partie importante des résidents des centres d'hébergement de soins de longue durée. Jusqu'à maintenant, toutefois, aucune recherche n'examine leur qualité de vie, y compris de quelle façon leurs perceptions de la qualité de vie se comparent à celles des résidents plus âgés de ces centres. La présente étude a employé une approche multidimensionnelle pour évaluer la qualité de vie des résidents plus jeunes de ces centres d'hébergement et sa relation avec la santé, le soutien social, et les loisirs; et elle compare la qualité de vie des résidents plus jeunes et plus âgés. L'échantillon comprenait 43 résidents plus jeunes (M = 53,7 ans) et 38 résidents plus âgés (M = 79,92 ans). Les résultats indiquent qu'il n'y avait aucune différence d'âge en ce qui a trait à la qualité de vie, et suggèrent qu'il faut une conceptualisation élargie de la qualité de vie de la population des centres d'hébergement de soins de longue durée.

Keywords

agingquality of lifeyounger adultsnursing homevieillissementqualité de vieadultes plus jeunescentres d'hébergement de soins de longue durée
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 26 , Issue 4 , Winter/Hiver 2007 , pp. 403 - 410
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, D.L. (1969). Analysis of a life satisfaction index. Journal of Gerontology, 24, 470–474.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boschen, K.A. (1996). Correlates of life satisfaction, residential satisfaction, and locus of control among adults with spinal cord injuries. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 39, 230–243.Google Scholar
Casten, R.J., Parmalee, P.A., Kleban, M.H., Lawton, M.P., & Katz, I.R. (1995). The relationships among anxiety, depression, and pain in a geriatric institutionalized sample. Pain, 61, 271–276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Centre for Health Promotion (1993). Report on the reliability and validity study: Quality of life instrument package. Toronto: Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services.Google Scholar
Chappell, N.L., & Badger, M. (1989). Social isolation and well-being. Journal of Gerontology, 44, S169–S176.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Diener, E., & Fujita, F. (1997). Resources, personal strivings, and subjective well-being: A nomothetic and idiographic approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 926–935.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farrar, J.T., Young, J.P., LaMorequx, L., Werth, J.L., & Poole, R.M. (2001). Clinical importance of changes in chronic pain intensity measured on an 11-point numerical pain rating scale. Pain, 94, 149–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Folstein, M.F., Folstein, S.E., & McHugh, P.R. (1975). Mini-Mental State: A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12, 189–198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Groomes, D.A.G., & Leahy, M.J. (2002). The relationships among the stress appraisal process, coping disposition, and level of acceptance of disability. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 46, 15–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gulick, E.E. (1997). Correlates of quality of life among persons with multiple sclerosis. Nursing Research, 46, 305–311.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harris, L. (1975). Associates. The myth and reality of aging in America. Washington, DC: National Council on Aging.Google Scholar
Kahn, D.L. (1999). Making the best of it: Adapting to the ambivalence of a nursing home environment. Qualitative Health Research, 9, 119–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kane, R.A., Kling, K.C., Bershadsky, B., Kane, R., Hiles, K., Degenholtz, H.B., et al. (2003). Quality of life measures for nursing home residents. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Science, 58A, 240–248.Google Scholar
Lawton, M.P. (1991). A multidimensional view of quality of life in frail elderly. In Birren, J.E., Lubben, J.E., Rowe, J.C., & Deutchman, D.E. (Eds.), The concept and measurement of quality of life in frail elderly (pp. 3–27). San Diego: Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lindstrom, B. (1992). Quality of life: A model for evaluating health for all. Journal of Preventative Medicine, 37, 301–306.Google Scholar
Lyubornirsky, S. (2001). Why are some people happier than others? The role of cognitive and motivational processes in well-being. American Psychologist, 56, 239–249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maddox, G.L., & Douglas, E.B. (1972). Self-assessment of health: A longitudinal study of elderly subjects. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 14, 87–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Masten, A.S. (2001). Ordinary magic: Resilience processes in development. American Psychologist, 56, 227–238.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morris, J.N., Hawes, C., Fries, B.E., Phillips, C.D., Mor, V., Katz, S., et al. (1990). Designing the National Resident Assessment Instrument for Nursing Homes. Gerontologist, 30, 293–307.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murphy, E. (1982). Social origins of depression in old age. British Journal of Psychiatry, 141, 455–468.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Raphael, D., Brown, I., Smith, T., & Renwick, R. (Eds.). (1998). Development and properties of the short and brief versions of the Quality of Life Profile: Seniors Version. Toronto: Quality of Life Research Unit Centre for Health Promotion.Google Scholar
Raphael, D., Renwick, R., & Brown, I. (1996). Quality of Life Profile: Seniors (short version). Toronto: Centre for Health Promotion.Google Scholar
Raphael, D., Renwick, R., Brown, I., & Rootman, I. (1994). Quality of life indicators and health: Current status and emerging conceptions. Social Indicators Research, 39, 65–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Renwick, R., Nourhaghighi, N., Manns, P.J., & Rudman, D.L. (2003). Quality of life for people with physical disabilities: A new instrument. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 26(4), 279–288.Google ScholarPubMed
Renwick, R., Rudman, D.L., Raphael, D., & Brown, I. (1996). Quality of Life Profile: Version for Persons with Physical and Sensory Disabilities. Toronto: Centre for Health Promotion.Google Scholar
Schneider, S.L. (2001). In search of realistic optimism: Meaning, knowledge, and warm fuzziness. American Psychologist, 56, 250–263.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schulz, R., & Heckhausen, J. (1996). A life-span model of successful aging. American Psychologist, 51, 702–714.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Skevington, S.M. (1998). Investigating the relationship between pain and discomfort and quality of life using the WHOQOL. Pain, 76, 395–406.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sloane, P.D., Zimmerman, S., Williams, C.S., Reed, P.S., Gill, K.S., & Preisser, J.S. (2005). Evaluating the quality of life of long-term care residents with dementia. Gerontologist, 45, 37–55.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, J.L., Magill-Evans, J., & Brintnell, S. (1998). Life satisfaction following traumatic brain injury. Canadian Journal of Rehabilitation, 11, 131–140.Google Scholar
Spranger, M.A.G., & Schwartz, C.E. (1999). Integrating response shift into health-related quality of life research: A theoretical model. Social Science and Medicine, 48, 1507–1515.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stelmach, L. (2005). Quality of life in the continuing care environment: Resident and staff perspectives. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Calgary, AB: University of Calgary.Google Scholar
Strain, L.A., & Chappell, N.L. (1982). Confidants: Do they make a difference in quality of life? Research on Aging, 4, 479–502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tilly, S., Goldenson, S., & Kasten, J. (2001). Long-term care—Consumers, providers, and financing: A chart book. Washington, DC: Urban Institute Retrieved 15 June 2006 from http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/LTC_Chartbook.pdf.Google Scholar
Thompson, J.V., & Heller, K. (1990). Facets of support related to well-being: Quantitative social isolation and perceived family support in a sample of elderly women. Psychology and Aging, 5, 535–544.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watt, A. (2003). Quality of life in younger continuing care residents. Unpublished masters thesis. Calgary, Alberta: University of Calgary.Google Scholar