title: Influencers on quality of life as reported by people living with dementia in long-term care: a descriptive exploratory approach.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Over half of the residents in long-term care have a diagnosis of dementia. Maintaining quality of life is important, as there is no cure for dementia. Quality of life may be used as a benchmark for caregiving, and can help to enhance respect for the person with dementia and to improve care provision. The purpose of this study was to describe quality of life as reported by people living with dementia in long-term care in terms of the influencers of, as well as the strategies needed, to improve quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive exploratory approach. A subsample of twelve residents across two Australian states from a national quantitative study on quality of life was interviewed. Data were analysed thematically from a realist perspective. The approach to the thematic analysis was inductive and data-driven.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three themes emerged in relation to influencers and strategies related to quality of life: (a) maintaining independence, (b) having something to do, and (c) the importance of social interaction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings highlight the importance of understanding individual resident needs and consideration of the complexity of living in large group living situations, in particular in regard to resident decision-making.
authors.affiliation: Director Centre for Health Practice Innovation, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Brisbane, Australia. w.moyle@griffith.edu.au.|Dementia Collaborative Research Centre-Consumers and Carers (DCRC-CC), Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. w.moyle@griffith.edu.au.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Moyle
authors.affiliation: Dementia Collaborative Research Centre-Consumers and Carers (DCRC-CC), Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. d.fetherstonhaugh@latrobe.edu.au.|Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care (ACEBAC), La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. d.fetherstonhaugh@latrobe.edu.au.
authors.forename: Deirdre
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fetherstonhaugh
authors.affiliation: Research Assistant, Centre for Health Practice Innovation, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. melissagreben@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Greben
authors.affiliation: Director DCRC-CC, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. elizabeth.beattie@qut.edu.au.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Beattie
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D019985:Benchmarking; D003657:Decision Making; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D036301:Qualitative Research; D058996:Quality Improvement; D011788:Quality of Life