Quality of life and related factors of nursing home residents in Singapore

BACKGROUND Litter is known about the well-being of nursing home (NH) residents in Singapore. This study aimed to identify predictors of self-reported quality of life (QOL) of NH residents in Singapore. METHODS In face-to-face interviews, trained medical students assessed each consenting resident recruited from 6 local NHs using a modified Minnesota QOL questionnaire, and rating scales and questions assessing independence, cognitive function, depression, and communication. Predictors of residents' QOL in five aspects (comfort, dignity, food enjoyment, autonomy, and security) were identified using the censored least absolute deviations (CLAD) models. RESULTS A total of 375 residents completed the interviews. A higher score on comfort was negatively associated with major depression while a higher score on dignity was positively associated with no difficulty in communication with staff. Higher scores in food enjoyment were negatively associated with major depression and poorer cognitive function. Higher scores in autonomy were negatively associated with major depression, greater dependence, and difficulty in communication with staff. A higher score on security were negatively associated with major depression. CONCLUSION It appears that depression and difficulty in communication with staff are the two main modifiable risk factors of poor quality of life of local NH residents.