Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #100270

Sumiko Kanegae, MD, MPH, General Care Center, Yuaikai, 2962-1 Takatsuhara Oaza, Kashima-shi Saga-ken, 849-1392, Japan, +81 954 63 5533, sumikokane@hotmail.com, Richard Fleming, Dementia Services Development Centre, The Hammond Care Group, Level 2, 447 Kent Street, Sydney NSW, 2000, Australia, Fred Ehrlich, MA, MB, BS, PhD, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, The University of New South Wales, UNSW, Sydney NSW, 2052, Australia, and Rod O'Connor, BSc Hons PhD CHE, Rod O’Connor & Associates Pty Ltd (www.RodOConnorAssoc.com), 59 Gipps St. Birchgrove, Sydney NSW, 2041, Australia.

Background: Quality of life (QOL) is a key consideration in dementia care. Method: A longitudinal study with 83 initial subjects with dementia, following up 54 subjects with 8-9 months interval, was carried out in dementia specific hostels (DSHs) and general nursing homes (GNHs). The QOL was assessed using the Alzheimer Disease Related Quality of Life (ADRQL) scale and a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) measuring overall QOL. The influence of resident characteristics, social context, organizational context, and physical setting on QOL in the residential care was examined. Results: The DSHs provided a homelike environment and holistic care approaches. The GNHs were in transition from a hospital model to a social model of care. Carers in the DSHs seemed to evaluate QOL for the residents considering all functions equivalently, while staff in the GNHs focused more on the comfort levels of the residents. There was no significant difference in cognitive function, care needs, and resident stay between facilities. The ADRQL tended to be higher in the GNHs than in the DSHs, and decreased over time in both facilities. The ADRQL had problems with the concreteness of some items. These may be associated with low inter-rater reliability, and with different QOL scores brought about by the differing conceptions of QOL due to facility types. Conclusion: Different staff conceptions of QOL about the residents due to different nursing cultures should be taken into account to assess proxy-report QOL which is often considered to be a key health outcome to evaluate quality of dementia care.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, the participant will be able to

• Recognize possibilities and limitations of proxy-report QOL in aged care
• Understand environmental and care factors related to quality of life and quality of care in dimentia

Keywords: Quality of Life, Dementia

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.