Variables associated to quality of life among nursing home patients with dementia

To study which variables are associated with quality of life (QOL) in persons with dementia (PWD) living in nursing homes (NHs).

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).

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%).

Neuropsychiatric symptoms, apathy, severity of dementia, and impairment in activities in daily living are associated with reduced QOL in NH patients with dementia.