Factors Affecting Quality of Life Among the Elderly in Long-Term Care Hospitals

BACKGROUND: There are challenges in sustaining person-centered care in aged care settings. Key related issues of concern such as quality of life among the older people in long-term care hospitals and interactions with nursing staff have been described previously. PURPOSE: This study was designed to explore the factors affecting quality of life among older people living in long-term care hospitals in South Korea. METHODS: Older adult patients (N = 202) in three long-term care hospitals completed measures of cognitive functions, depression, care dependency, and interactions between nurse and patient and a quality-of-life assessment tool. Univariate analyses were used to examine the relationships among these variables, and a multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the extent to which these variables predicted quality of life in these patients. RESULTS: The significant factors associated with quality of life were found to be cognitive functions (r = .373, p < .001), care dependency (r = .350, p < .001), and depression (r = −.504, p < .001). The regression model with depression and care dependency as predictor variables accounted for 25.7% of the variance in quality of life. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The correlation found in this study between quality of life and depression and care dependency provides additional evidentiary support for developing and applying nursing interventions that reduce depression and care dependency in older adult populations.