Active ageing within the nursing home: a study in Flanders, Belgium

Nursing homes should support residents' quality of life (QoL). It remains vague, however, how these facilities can create a QoL enhancing environment. Active ageing (AA) is a useful framework in this context, since it provides a multidimensional set of determinants that enhance QoL. This study examined the current status of AA in nursing homes in Flanders, Belgium. A sample of 383 randomly recruited residents was surveyed on the subjective importance and experienced reality of the AA determinants as well as on QoL. Based on descriptive analyses, residents appeared to have a positive QoL and a moderately positive appraisal of the extent to which nursing homes provide a multidimensional environment to enhance their QoL. Multivariate analyses showed that residents' nursing home active ageing (NHAA) experience was positively related to their QoL and explained 20 % of its variance. Specifically, psychological factors and participation related positively to QoL. Demographic variables showed no relationships with QoL, while educational level related negatively to the NHAA experience. Currently, in Flanders, nursing homes are on their way to working according to the AA vision, but further efforts are still needed.