Turkish Journal of Geriatrics 2011 , Vol 14, Issue 4
EFFECTS OF MENTAL, FUNCTIONAL AND MOBILITY DISABILITIES ON THE HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AND LIFE SATISFACTION IN ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY
Tülay TARSUSLU-ŞİMŞEK1, Eylem TÜTÜN-YÜMİN1, Meral SERTEL1, Asuman ÖZTÜRK1, Murat YÜMİN2
1Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi, K.D. Fizik Tedavi ve Rehabilitasyon Yüksekokulu BOLU
267 Nolu Aile HekimliÄŸi, Aile HekimliÄŸi BOLU
Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of mental, functional and mobility disabilities on the health related quality of life and life satisfaction of elderly living at home or nursing home.

Materials and Method: 59 elder people living in a nursing home, and 98 elder people living in the family environment were included in this study. Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), Life Satisfaction Scale (LSS), Physical Mobility Scale (PMS), Functional Independence Measurement (FIM), Mini Mental Test (MMT) were used for evaluations.

Results: A significant difference was found in PMS, MMT, NHP, FIM (p<0.05) between elderly individuals living in nursing home and those living in the family environment. However there was no difference in LSS (p>0.05). There was a relation between NHP and PMS, MMT, LSS, FIM (p<0.05) for the elderly individuals living in family environment. For the elderly individuals living in nursing home a relation was found between NHP and PMS, MMT (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Mobility, mental and functional levels are important factors in increasing health related quality of life and life satisfaction in elderly individuals living in nursing homes and in the family environment. Keywords : Aged; Quality of Life; Activities of Daily Living, Mobility Limitation