University of Tasmania, Australia

As there is yet no cure or definitive treatment for dementia, the main focus of care for people with dementia surrounds their QoL, particularly in residential aged care settings. QoL is a multidimensional concept including factors such as living situation, functional status, wellbeing and contentment. Recent years have seen increasing attention being focus on measurement of QoL for people with dementia. Although self reporting of QoL is vital, the presence of cognitive impairment means that a multi-dimensional assessment including the perspectives of care staff and/or families is also important.

The study will gather in-depth data related to QoL for people with dementia in Australian RACFs from multiple perspectives. This will generate knowledge about QoL issues for this resident group in the Australian residential care system, provide benchmarking relating to QoL, and help to inform care and direct attention to areas in need of further research. It will be the first extensive study of its kind in Australia, incorporating facility and care variables into the study of QoL for people with dementia in residential care.