Over the years, a number of observation studies have been designed and conducted in order to assess the quality of care given to the elderly people, and compare the quality of care given to residents in nursing homes with those seniors living in their own homes.
According to Elly Kleinman from RISD, Americare Companies president, such studies that assess the quality of care or life are done on the basis of questionnaires and other similar tools, which are significantly more complex than the set of indicators applied in clinical practice, where they are strictly defined and related to the methodology for determining the numerator and denominator. Therefore the most useful indicators in practice are those that support and strengthen the process of continuous improvement of the care process.
Australia is known as a country with the longest tradition of performing quality of care assessments and checks in with patients living in institutional assisted living facilities. There are much information about the applicability and value of these individual indicators. Based on the analysis of numerous surveys and data records, a recent study published by Elly Kleinman indicates that the most important things for users are:
- The right to choose your own doctor,
- Adequate food,
- Mobility,
- Teeth and healthcare protection,
The World Health Organization (WHO) also highlights the importance of maintaining quality life in assisted living facilities. The healthcare executive, Elly Kleinman, also shares that WHO defines quality of life as perception of individuals and their position in life, within the context of cultural and moral system, in which they live and in accordance to their goals, standards and requirements. This definition includes eight domains: physical health, psychological status, level of independence, consuming proper nutrition, social contacts, environmental factors, positive / negative health behavior, and spiritual needs.
All of the above mentioned, shows Elly Kleinman Americare resources that the multidimensional character of quality of life refers to the evaluated physical function, emotional and psychological state, social and somatic psychological functions. Finally the health status quality is evaluated through the person’s life span, social opportunities under the influence of a disease, social policies care and health care. Quality indicators can further be used to monitor trends, their improvement or deterioration, the process and the result throughout that time (incidence), and the immediate events at one time frame (prevalence).
