Purpose: To define the level of quality of life in an
elderly population and to investigate the effects of selected variables, such
as anemia, fatigue, depression and sleep disorders, on the quality of life. Design
and Methods: The study was conducted in Gazio?lu Nursing Home, located in the
city center of Kayseri, on 136 subjects ≥65 in the year 2008-2009. Data were
collected using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Fatigue Severity Scale
(FSS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the World Health Organization
Quality of Life-OLD (WHOQOL- OLD) Module. In the statistical analysis mean ±
standard deviation, student’s t-test, ANOVA and Spearman correlation analysis
were used. Re- sults: The mean total score of quality of life was 43.45 ±
10.30. Of the residents 47.0% had a poor quality of life. Autonomy had the
lowest (35.70 ± 19.96) and intimacy had the highest (48.75 ± 17.96) subdomain
scores. Fatigue significantly decreased the total and autonomy, social par- ticipation and death and dying subdomain scores.
Anemia had a significant adverse effect on intimacy, depression on autonomy
and intimacy and sleep disorder on death and dying. There were negative correlations
between fatigue with past-present-future activities and social participation,
depression with social participation, intimacy, death and dying and glucose
levels with social participation and intimacy. Implications: About half of the
subjects had a poor quality of life. Fatigue was the sole factor to negatively
affect the total score in WHOQOL-OLD. Depression, anemia and sleep disorder
adversely affected the autonomy, social participation, intimacy, death and
dying subdomain scores but not in all.