Measuring the perception of choices in the nursing home

The purpose of this study was to measure the perception of choices among elders who live in a nursing home. The perception of choices, defined as a subjective appraisal of alternatives as understood by the individual, includes the freedom to make decisions, individuality of judgment, and availability of options. The instrument--Perception of Choices in a Nursing Home (PCL)--is a 10-item dichotomous scale designed for administration to frail elderly. A study with three phases involved 228 elderly in 19 different nursing homes. The results of principal component's factor analysis supported the presence of one dimension interpreted as having choices. The internal consistency reliability was a = .84, n = 99; and a = .74, n = 129. Low mental status did not affect internal consistency reliability but affected retest reliability, r = 67. The PCL correlated significantly with depression, r = .31, p = .0001, and powerlessness, .36, p = .005.