Change in quality of life of people with dementia recently admitted to long-term care facilities.
OBJECTIVE
To assess which factors are associated with change in quality of life of people with dementia who have recently been admitted to long-term care facilities.


BACKGROUND
Many people with dementia will be admitted to long-term care facilities at some point during their disease. It is currently unknown which factors are associated with improvement and/or deterioration of quality of life immediately following admission.


METHODS
An observational and longitudinal survey.


METHODS
Data on 343 people with dementia who have been recently admitted to long-term care facilities across eight European countries were collected between November 2010-April 2012. Quality of life was assessed by people with dementia and their proxies using the 'Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease scale'. Explanatory variables included cognitive status, comorbidities, activities of daily living, depressive symptoms and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Descriptive and multilevel regression analyses were performed.


RESULTS
Better cognitive abilities at baseline were associated with a decrease in self-reported quality of life. Greater dependency and more depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with declined proxy-reported quality of life. Furthermore, an increased dependency and an increase of depressive symptoms between baseline and follow-up were associated with a decreased proxy-reported quality of life. On an individual level, three groups were identified, namely people whose quality of life: (1) decreased; (2) stayed the same; and (3) increased.


CONCLUSIONS
Cognitive functioning, functional rehabilitation and treatment of depressive symptoms should receive special attention. However, quality of life of people with dementia does not necessarily decrease after institutionalization.
Department of Health Services Research, CAPHRI, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
Hanneke C
HC
Beerens
Department of Health Services Research, CAPHRI, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
Sandra M G
SM
Zwakhalen
Department of Health Services Research, CAPHRI, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
Hilde
H
Verbeek
Department of Health Services Research, CAPHRI, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
Dirk
D
Ruwaard
Department of Methodology & Statistics, CAPHRI, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
Antonius W
AW
Ambergen
Department of Nursing Science, University of Turku, Turku University Hospital, Finland.
Helena
H
Leino-Kilpi
Department: Faculty of Health, School of Nursing Science, Witten/Herdecke University, Germany.
Astrid
A
Stephan
Department of Nursing, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain.
Adelaida
A
Zabalegui
Geriatrics Department, Toulouse University Hospital, France.
Maria
M
Soto
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tartu, Estonia.
Kai
K
Saks
Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, The Swedish Institute for Health Sciences, Sweden.
Christina
C
Bökberg
Personal Social Services Research Unit, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Manchester, UK.
Caroline L
CL
Sutcliffe
Department of Health Services Research, CAPHRI, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
Jan P H
JP
Hamers
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003704:Dementia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010343:Patient Admission; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
Europe; admission; dementia; long-term care; longitudinal study; nursing home; nursing research; quality of life; residential facility; transition