Table 4.
Characteristics of the study population
| Characteristics | N = 95 1 |
|---|---|
| Sex, female (%) |
65 |
| Age, mean (SD) [range] |
79.8 (11.2) [44 – 100] |
| Cultural background (%) |
|
| Dutch |
88 |
| Surinam |
8 |
| Other |
4 |
| Diseases (%)2 |
|
| Heart diseases |
36 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis |
29 |
| Stroke |
28 |
| Diabetes |
25 |
| Cancer |
14 |
| Asthma/COPD |
11 |
| Depression |
8 |
| Parkinson’s disease |
5 |
| Multiple Sclerosis |
3 |
| Length of stay in nursing home, mean days (SD) [range] |
744 (764) [29 – 3830] |
| Cognitive Performance Scale (%) |
|
| Intact |
73 |
| Borderline intact |
21 |
| Mild impairment |
3 |
| Moderate impairment |
2 |
| Moderate severe impairment |
1 |
| Having a belief/religion that is appreciated as important (%) |
45 |
| Barthel Index, mean (SD) [range]3 |
7.4 (4.9) [0 – 19] |
| WHO-Five Well Being Index, mean (SD) [range]4 |
54.8 (23.5) [0 – 100] |
| EQ-5D, mean (SD) [range]5 |
0.33 (0.26) [-0.2 – 1] |
| Quality of life, mean (SD) [range] |
6.6 (2.0) [1 – 10] |
| Single item score for personal dignity, mean (SD) [range] | 7.3 (1.6) [1 – 10] |
1Missing observations for 2–10 respondents: WHO-Five Well Being Scale (2), EQ-5D (2), Quality of life (3), Single item for personal dignity (3), Cognitive Performance Scale (3), Barthel Index (4), Diseases (8), Length of stay (10).
2Many respondents had several diseases. The most prevalent diseases are listed in the table, but many others were mentioned (e.g. Chron’s disease, cataract, pneumonia, polyneuropathy, ALS, aneurysma hydrocephalus, epilepsy).
3The Barthel Index assesses ability to perform activities of daily living: 0 = total dependence – 20 = maximum independence.
4A higher score on the WHO-Five Well Being Index (from 0 to 100) indicates more well-being.
5The EQ-5D assesses health-related quality of life on 5 dimensions 'mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression’: -0.33 = severely disabled on all domains – 1 = perfect health.