ABSTRACT
Research related to quality of life in long-term care has been hampered by a paucity of measurement tools sensitive to environmental interventions. The primary aim of this study was to test the psychometric properties of a new instrument, the Experience of Home (EOH) Scale, designed to measure the strength of the experience of meaningful person-environment transaction. The instrument was administered to 200 older adults in diverse dwelling types. Principal components analysis provided support for construct validity, eliciting a three-factor solution accounting for 63.18% of variance in scores. Internal consistency reliability was supported with Cronbach's alpha of .96 for the entire scale. The EOH Scale is a unique research tool to evaluate interventions to improve quality of living in residential environments.
Subject(s)
Aged/psychology , Housing for the Elderly , Patient Satisfaction , Quality of Life , Residential Facilities , Aged, 80 and over , Factor Analysis, Statistical , Female , Humans , Male , Psychometrics , Reproducibility of Results , United StatesABSTRACT
Hospitalized older adults are vulnerable to many conditions that can cause functional decline. According to Inouye, Bogardus, Baker, Leo-Summers, and Cooney (2000), 34% to 50% of hospitalized older adults experience poor health outcomes, which can prolong their hospital stay, increase their risk for institutionalization, and increase hospital costs and mortality rates. The objectives of this article are to present national models that have been successful, identify hospitals in Connecticut that are using the models, and to discuss and compare interventions and protocols within Connecticut hospitals. A survey was designed to gather data from 32 hospitals in Connecticut. Twenty-four hospital professionals responded (response rate = 75%), and the majority was found to be creative and eager to share ideas to improve the quality of care.
