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How to measure quality of life in shared-housing arrangements? A comparison of dementia-specific instruments

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Abstract

Purpose

The appropriateness of existing quality of life (QoL) instruments in small-scale, homelike care facilities for people with dementia is as yet unknown. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of three QoL instruments in German shared-housing arrangements (SHA).

Method

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 36 SHA in Berlin to evaluate the acceptability, internal consistency, and validity (construct, convergent, and discriminant) of three QoL instruments: Alzheimer’s Disease Related Quality of Life (ADRQL), Quality of Life–Alzheimer’s Diseases (QoL-AD), and measuring QUAlity of LIfe in DEMentia (QUALIDEM).

Results

A total of 104 residents (mean age 79.0 years, 73 % female) were included. All instruments showed good acceptability, with QUALIDEM the best. Adequate levels of internal consistency for the ADRQL and QoL-AD and most of the QUALIDEM domains were found. Validity of all the instruments measuring QoL was confirmed.

Conclusions

Study findings suggest that QUALIDEM is the preferred instrument to evaluate QoL of residents in SHA, especially due to the high acceptability. Further research is needed to develop and improve these existing measurements.

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Acknowledgments

We are indebted to all residents and nurses who participated in our study. This manuscript is part of a doctoral thesis by the first author (JG) and is embedded in the research project ‘WGQual,’ which was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Conflict of interest

None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Medical Sociology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Luisenstr. 57, 10117, Berlin, Germany

    Johannes Gräske & Adelheid Kuhlmey

  2. Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences, Alice Salomon Platz 5, 12627, Berlin, Germany

    Johannes Gräske & Karin Wolf-Ostermann

  3. Department of Health Services Research, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Hilde Verbeek

  4. Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, Baddiley-Clark Building, Richardson Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE2 4AX, UK

    Paul Gellert

  5. Department Health Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195, Berlin, Germany

    Paul Gellert

  6. Evangelische Hochschule Dresden, Dürerstraße 25, 01307, Dresden, Germany

    Thomas Fischer

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  1. Johannes Gräske
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  2. Hilde Verbeek
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  3. Paul Gellert
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  4. Thomas Fischer
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  6. Karin Wolf-Ostermann
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Correspondence to Johannes Gräske.

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Gräske, J., Verbeek, H., Gellert, P. et al. How to measure quality of life in shared-housing arrangements? A comparison of dementia-specific instruments. Qual Life Res 23, 549–559 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-013-0504-8

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