Author(s): Kamile Silay* and Fatmagul Gursoy
Aim: Our study aims to determine the factors affecting sleep disorders and quality through a comprehensive geriatric assessment in individuals aged 65 and over living in nursing homes.
Materials and methods: 107 older individuals (67 women and 49 men) who applied to the geriatric outpatient clinic and lived in a nursing home between May and July 2016 were included in the study. A comprehensive geriatric assessment was performed and their information was recorded. SF-36 quality of life scale score, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and sleep Stanford scale score tests were performed to evaluate sleep quality.
Results: 35 (34.7%) of the individuals had a Sleep Pittsburgh scale score of less than 5 (no sleep disorder), and 66 (65.3%) had more than 5 (sleep disorder). When the cases were grouped with SF-36 scores, a negative, weak linear relationship was detected between the Stanford sleepiness scale scores and the SF-36 scale subscales of physical function, general health status, vitality, social function, and emotional function scores. (respectively; rho=-0.307, p=0.002, rho=-0.274, p=0.006, rho=-0.349, p<0.001, rho=-0.242, p=0.015, rho=-0.248, p=0.012) a positive, statistically significant relationship was found between PSQI scores and all sub-dimensions of the SF-36 scale (p<0.001).
Conclusion: Our study showed that poor sleep quality is a common problem in older individuals living in nursing homes. We determined that one of the important risk factors for poor sleep quality is the quality of life level of older people.
