title: Variables associated to quality of life among nursing home patients with dementia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study which variables are associated with quality of life (QOL) in persons with dementia (PWD) living in nursing homes (NHs).
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study included 661 PWD living in NH. To measure QOL the quality of life in late-stage dementia scale (QUALID) was applied. Other scales were: the clinical dementia rating scale (CDR), physical self-maintenance scale (PSMS), and neuropsychiatric inventory questionnaire (NPI-Q).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients' mean age was: 86.9 (SD 7.7), 472 (71.4%) were women. Of all, 22.5% had CDR 1, 33.6% had CDR 2, and 43.9% had CDR 3. The mean PSMS score was 18.2 (SD 5.0), 43.1% lived in special care units, 56.9% in regular units. In a linear regression analysis NPI-affective score (β = 0.360, p-value < 0.001), NPI-agitation score (β = 0.268, p-value < 0.001), PSMS total score (β = 0.181, p-value < 0.001), NPI-apathy (β = 0.144, p-value < 0.001), NPI psychosis (β = 0.085, p-value 0.009), CDR sum of boxes score (β = 0.081, p-value 0.026) were significantly associated with QUALID total score (explained variance 44.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neuropsychiatric symptoms, apathy, severity of dementia, and impairment in activities in daily living are associated with reduced QOL in NH patients with dementia.
authors.affiliation: a Norwegian Centre for Ageing and Health , Vestfold Hospital Trust , Tønsberg , Norway.
authors.forename: Marit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mjørud
authors.forename: Marit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kirkevold
authors.forename: Janne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Røsvik
authors.forename: Geir
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Selbæk
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Engedal
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D057565:Apathy / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D009735:Nursing Homes; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: dementia; neuropsychiatric symptoms; nursing home; psychotropic drugs; quality of life