Effect of life-space mobility on subjective well-being in aged home-based rehabilitation users with different levels of independence in activities of daily living

[Purpose] The relationship between quality of life and life-space mobility in community-dwelling older adults has recently been reported. The present study aimed to elucidate this relationship in home-based rehabilitation users with limited life-space mobility and loss of independence in activities of daily living. [Participants and Methods] The study population comprised 33 home-based rehabilitation users. The participants were expected to have a wide range of the level of independence in activities of daily living; therefore, they were categorized into three groups according to the Barthel Index score: independent (95–100 points), moderately disabled (90–65 points), and severely disabled (60–0 points) groups. We examined the relationships among the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale, Life-Space Assessment, and Barthel Index scores and age. [Results] We detected a strong positive correlation between the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale and Life-Space Assessment scores in the independent group; however, no significant correlations were observed in the moderately and severely disabled groups. [Conclusion] Our findings suggest a relationship between subjective well-being and life-space mobility in home-based rehabilitation users who are mostly independent in activities of daily living. However, owing to the small sample size and characteristics of the scales used in this study, further studies are warranted to verify these results.