Quality of life in small-scaled homelike nursing homes: an 8-month controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Quality of life is a clinical highly relevant outcome for residents with dementia. The question arises whether small scaled homelike facilities are associated with better quality of life than regular larger scale nursing homes do. METHODS: A sample of 145 residents living in a large scale care facility were followed over 8 months. Half of the sample (N = 77) subsequently moved to a small scaled facility. Quality of life aspects were measured with the QUALIDEM and GIP before and after relocation. RESULTS: We found a significant Group x Time interaction on measures of anxiety meaning that residents who moved to small scale units became less anxious than residents who stayed on the regular care large-scale units. No significant differences were found on other aspects of quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that residents who move from a large scale facility to a small scale environment can improve an aspect of quality of life by showing a reduction in anxiety. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN11151241. registration date: 21–06-2017. Retrospectively registered.