Evaluation of life satisfaction and functional fitness of people over 60 years of age living in a nursing home and home environment

Background. Life satisfaction may refer to one’s life evaluation, social skills and engagement in life activities.

Objectives. Evaluation of life satisfaction and functional fitness of people over 60 years of age living in a nursing home and home environment.

Material and methods. A survey research was conducted at the turn of 2013 and 2014 in a group of 101 subjects over 60 years of age. This group comprised of 50 residents of the “Kombatant” nursing home in Ciechanow and 51 subjects staying in a home environment. In the research, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS ) and Barthel Scale were used.

Results. Analysis of the results shows that the mean index of satisfaction with life among all subjects reached 20.7 ± 6.21 with a median of 23, which indicated an average level of satisfaction with life. In a home environment, 50.98% of the subjects reported a high level of satisfaction with life as compared to only 20% in the nursing home. As for evaluation of functional fitness, more than half of the subjects (53.47%) scored 21 to 85 points according to the Barthel Scale, and their condition was determined as “moderate to severe”. A high positive correlation (r = 0.7) was also observed between the functional state described as “moderate to severe” among the subjects staying in a home environment and their satisfaction with life.

Conclusions. In the researched group, the level of satisfaction with life varied, with lower results among the residents of the nursing home, whereas for those living in a home environment, functional fitness was the key factor in its determination.