Physiotherapy and quality of life of patients in long-term care

The importance of physiotherapy in improving quality of life of patients in long-term care is not yet fully understood. The aim of the study was to assess the quality of life and functional status of patients in long-term care with respect to their rehabilitation. Study design: Cross-sectional.The study was conducted among a group of 58 individuals. A questionnaire to collect the data concerning rehabilitation, the Barthel scale, VAS and WHOQOL-Bref were used.The functional condition was assessed as moderately heavy and light in 83.9% of participants. More than 70% of patients rated the quality of life as good and very good. There was no significant relationship between participation in rehabilitation and quality of life of the subjects (p=0.35). There was a monotonic relationship between the social domain of quality of life and satisfaction with rehabilitation (r=0.34, p=0.01). There was a significant correlation between the quality of life and BMI, education, pain and level of functional efficiency assessed using the Barthel scale.The majority of the studied nursing-home residents participated in rehabilitation and were satisfied with it, which positively affected the quality of life in terms of social relations.physiotherapy, quality of life, functional status, long-term careReceived: 2nd Mar. 2016; Accepted for publication: 7th Jan. 2017