[Successful coping with declining objective life style by institutionalized long-term patients. Results of a follow-up analysis of quality of life in long-term care institutions with the Zurich Quality of Life Inventory].
Measurement of quality of life in institutionalized frail patients is difficult considering the high prevalence of dementia. The Zurich quality of life inventory was developed specifically for this purpose and applied to describe longitudinally 103 institutionalized long-term care patients 3-12 months after entry: 11 slow-stream-rehabilitation patients (SSR), 16 severely dependent patients (ASL), 61 moderately dependent patients (ALL), and 15 young severely dependent patients, all of whom were assessed at least twice. The objective conditions of life deteriorated in all 4 groups, significantly in the SSR and ASL, and with high significance in the whole population from 121 +/- 54 to 139 +/- 58 (P < 0.001). Well-being did not change significantly in any of the groups or overall (from 122 +/- 59 to 117 +/- 54, p = 0.90). Deteriorating life conditions were due to a decline in clinical dementia rating, (p < 0.01) and living space diameter (p < 0.001), whereas the remaining subscores of life condition, i.e., number of falls, days of sickness, life style rating, and all subscores of well-being, i.e., number of medicines, valuation of handicap and of suffering, visual self-rating of well-being and caregivers' stress did not change significantly.
Stadtärztlicher Dienst Postfach, Zürich.
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Wettstein
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Bielak
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Rüegg
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Knecht
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Christen
S
S
Christen
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000523:psychology*; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007326:Institutionalization; D008019:Life Style; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000523:psychology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D013557:Switzerland