Objective: In this study we aimed to evaluate quality of life and individual factors influencing quality of life in nur-sing home residents.

Method: We assesed 61 elderly residents of Eskişehir Maide Bolel Nursing Home. The residents who got less than 24 points in Standardized Mini Mental Test For The Uneducated were excluded and 39 of the residents were included in the study. A questionaire on demographic data which was formed by the authors, Geriatric Depression Scale, Short Form-36 (SF-36) Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and Brief Disability Questionnaire were administered. We evaluated the relationship between the variables and SF-36 subscale scores.

Results: 7 of the elderly included in the study were female and 32 were male. The mean age was 72.69. Significant relationship between SF-36 subscales and age, level of education, having a disability, reading, joining social activities, exercise, having a hobby, the presence of depression, disability scores and perceived social support was found.

Conclusion: Increasing social facilities, presenting various kinds of hobbies that the elderly can accept and having exercise programs in nursing homes will help to increase quality of life in these places. Screening depression and giving appropriate treatments by itself will also increase quality of life in these elderly. Revealing the factors causing disability and making interventions in order to relieve these factors will also help.