title: What matters most to nursing home elders: quality of life in the nursing home.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A growing number of nursing homes across the country are embarking on culture change transformations that focus on maximizing elder residents' quality of life (QOL). Challenges to culture change implementation include the wide range of possible interventions as well as a lack of research-based evidence to guide these choices. The purpose of this study was to determine those components of nursing home QOL that are associated with elder satisfaction so as to provide direction in the culture change journey.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study using a survey administered face-to-face.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three large urban nursing homes within a long term care system in New York State.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-two elder nursing home residents participated in face-to-face interviews. All elders had resided in their nursing communities for at least 3 months before participation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The survey included the Quality of Life Scales for Nursing Home Residents, which examines elder QOL in 11 domains: autonomy, dignity, food enjoyment, functional competence, individuality, meaningful activity, physical comfort, privacy, relationships, security, and spiritual well-being. Elder satisfaction with the nursing home and nursing home staff were also examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After accounting for cognitive and physical functioning, among the QOL domains, dignity, spiritual well-being, and food enjoyment remained predictors of overall nursing home satisfaction. Additionally, dignity remained a significant predictor of elder satisfaction with staff.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results provide one possible path in the culture change journey based on empirical findings.
authors: Research Institute on Aging, Jewish Home Lifecare, New York, NY 10025, USA. oburack@jewishhome.org
authors: Orah R
authors: OR
authors: Burack
authors: Audrey S
authors: AS
authors: Weiner
authors: Joann P
authors: JP
authors: Reinhardt
authors: Rachel A
authors: RA
authors: Annunziato
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis