The purpose of the present study was to attempt to identify changes in quality of life (QOL) and factors associated with them shortly after demented elderly residents entered a group home. The subjects were 25 demented elderly persons who had entered a group home within the previous 3 months. Their QOL and factors associated with it were evaluated on two occasions, at baseline and 3 months later. An objective scale for dementia, the Quality of Life Questionnaire for Dementia (QOL-D), was used to evaluate their QOL. The results showed a significant change between the QOL-D scores at baseline and 3 months later, and changes in housekeeping item scores were extracted as factors associated with changes in QOL-D. These findings suggest that the QOL score rises soon after entering a group home, and that the acquisition of roles within the group home may influence the increase in QOL.

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