Quality of Life as a Function of Activity in Long-Term Care

Date of Award

2004

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Ryan, Kimberly

Keywords

Long-Term Care, Quality of Life, Activity

Area of Concentration

Psychology

Abstract

Supported housing is the greatest area of need for persons with chronic severe mental illness. Although successful models for quality housing have been available since the 1960s, most government agencies responsible for providing long-term care continue to use scarce resources to patch up old existing models of care. Historically, state hospitals served as social control mechanisms designed for custodial care and were often overcrowded and understaffed. Most of these hospitals closed between 1960 and 2000 releasing patients to nursing homes or families and communities that were ill-equipped to care for them. Unfortunately nursing homes, while providing an improved quality of life, still fall short, and residents often spend most of their time alone and inactive. Positive quality of life is a reasonable expectation for any disabled citizen. Facilities that provide positive activity are an affordable and practical alternative to placing mentally disabled persons into large nursing homes, or into our nation's growing prison and homeless populations. The current study compared the quality of life of residents of three small group homes. Quality of life was assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF. Activity was measured using the Pleasant Events Schedule. Residents of the home that provided more frequent and more active activity reported a higher quality of life. Some results were mixed, possibly due to the different philosophies of the homes' operators or the gender of the residents.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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