Assessment of disability and quality of life in elderly people in institutional care

Abstract

Introduction. Increasing incidence of disability among elderly people results in a growing need for long-term care. Aim. The aim of the study was to assess the disability and quality of life in people over 60 living in institutional care. Material and methods. The study group included a group of 100 people residing in social welfare homes in south-eastern Poland. The WHODAS 2.0 questionnaire was used to assess disability and the WHOQOL-Bref questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life. Results. The majority of the respondents had difficulties in getting around (47.94), participation in society (34.29) and self-care (32.40). The lowest level of disability was found in the domain of getting along with other people (6.67). The highest level of quality of life was observed in the environmental domain (63.62), and the lowest in the social domain (37.10). A relationship was found between disability and the quality of life in the study group. Difficulties in terms of getting around and self-care, as well as participation in society had a negative impact on the quality of life. Conclusion. The residents of social welfare homes were characterized by moderate disability and a good quality of life. The results obtained indicate the domains of functioning that require the greatest support for the residents of social welfare homes. The implementation of programs to improve the performance of basic and complex activities of daily living (ADL) may improve the functional status and quality of life in these people.