Quality Improvement in Nursing Homes: Identifying Depressed Residents is Critical to Improving Quality of Life.

The prevalence of depression in nursing home residents is three to five times higher than in older adults from the community.1 Depression is thought to be related to the gloomy institutionalized environment and an assortment of losses, including those associated with function, independence, social roles, friends and relatives, and past leisure activities.2 Despite the public's increased awareness of depression, it remains underrecognized and undertreated by professionals who care for older residents in nursing homes.