Impairments in life quality among clients in geriatric home care: associations with depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the independent contributions of depressive and anxiety symptoms to quality of life among older adults who were receiving services through a home care program.

Methods: The study sample consisted of 66 community-dwelling older adults (ages 65 years and older), who were experiencing chronic medical illness and concomitant functional disability necessitating home care. Participants completed self-report measures of depression, anxiety, and health-related quality of life. Additional data on cognitive, health, and functional status were collected to be used as covariates.

Results: The associations of depressive symptoms with quality of life impairments in home care were substantial and pervasive. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with quality of life impairments in nearly all domains. After controlling for depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms accounted for additional and statistically significant variance in impaired life quality in the domains of mental health, role emotional functioning, and bodily pain.

Conclusions: These results indicate that depressive and anxiety symptoms demonstrate negative associations with life quality among older adults in home care and highlight the importance of developing community-based programs to assess and treat depressive and anxiety symptoms among home care clients.