Factors affecting quality of life among elderly living in nursing homes

Introduction and Understanding factors affect quality of life at old age is considered as an important social issue particularly when population is ageing. Acquiring such information play a vital role in enhancing quality of life among elderly. Therefore, this study aimed to assess factors affecting quality of life in nursing homes-residing elderly people. This cross-sectional study included 73 female elderly living in the nursing homes of Khoramshahr and Ahvaz city. Data were collected using two questionnaires including demographic characteristics and the SF-36 questionnaire. Data analysis was done by SPSS 13. Results from the present study showed that mean age of participants was 52.75 (S.D= 11.39) years old which ranged from 60 to 102 years. There was a significant association between quality of life and education (P<0.05), age (P=0.03), chronic disease (P<0.01) and place of residence (P=0.4). However, no significant association was observed between quality of life and marital status (P=0.62), length of stay in nursing home (P=0.4) and income (P=0.3). In general, elderly living in nursing homes reported lower quality of life compared to community-dwelling elderly. Therefore, nursing homes are recommended to create more caring and compassionate environment that is similar to elderly’s own home. In addition, family members and friends are suggested to visit elderly residing in nursing homes on a regular basis in order to improve their quality of life.