Health-related quality of life among cognitively intact nursing home residents with and without cancer – a 6-year longitudinal study

Abstract

BackgroundLimited information exists regarding the natural development of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and its determinants among mentally intact nursing home (NH) residents. We aimed to examine HRQOL over time during a 6-year period among residents of NHs, who are not cognitively impaired, and to examine whether sense of coherence and a diagnosis of cancer influence HRQOL.MethodsThe study was prospective and included baseline assessment and 6-year follow-up. After baseline assessment of 227 cognitively intact NH residents (Clinical Dementia Rating score ≤ 0.5), we interviewed 52 living respondents a second time at the 5-year follow-up and 18 respondents a third time at the 6-year follow-up. We recorded data from the interviews using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey and the Sense of Coherence Scale. To study different developments over time for residents without and with cancer, we tested interactions between cancer and time.ResultsThe subscores of physical functioning and role limitation–physical domains declined with time (P < 0.001 and P = 0.02, respectively). Having a diagnosis of cancer at baseline was negatively correlated with general health (P = 0.002). Sense of coherence at baseline was positively correlated with all the SF-36 subscores from baseline to follow-up (P < 0.001).ConclusionThe study indicates that the HRQOL changed over time during the 6 years of follow-up, and the sense of coherence appeared to be an important component of the HRQOL. Finally, our results showed that having a diagnosis of cancer was associated with decline in the general health subdimension.

Improving Documentation of Nutritional Care in A Nursing Home: An Evaluation of A Participatory Action Research Project

“…However, most of the residents had an NCP irrespective of nutritional status, which may result in less attention given to residents at nutritional risk. On the other hand, considering the poor health of nursing home residents and their vulnerability to under- and/or malnutrition [6,24], most nursing home residents will require individual arrangements in relation to their meals, and such information should therefore be recorded in an NCP [2]. The increase in residents with an NCP indicate an overall increased focus on individual nutritional measures among the staff.…”

Joy‐of‐life in cognitively intact nursing home residents: the impact of the nurse–patient interaction

“…Consequently, the NH population is at a high risk of declined well-being and QoL (10,26,27). Finding approaches to increase well-being among older adults in NHs is highly warranted.…”

Loneliness Among Cognitively Intact Residents of Nursing Homes With and Without Cancer: A 6-Year Longitudinal Study

“…Sense of coherence is an important component of better functioning in older age (Takkinen & Ruoppila, 2001), of better health-related quality of life among nursing home residents (Drageset et al, 2009), of well-being and lower scores on depression and of reducing loneliness among older people (Lundman et al, 2010;Tomstad et al, 2017). Changes in mental health after 1 year (Langeland et al, 2006) and sense of coherence as a predictor of health-related quality of life in a 6-year longitudinal study among nursing home residents with and without a cancer diagnosis (Drageset, Eide, & Corbett, 2017) have also been verified.…”