Health-related Quality of Life and Leisure Participation among Long-term Care Facility Residents with Stroke

Background: Long-term care facility residents with stroke typically engage in daily life activities and leisure activities with low frequency, which may affect their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Purpose: The current study was conducted to (1) Explore stroke residents’ leisure-activity participation and HRQoL, as well as related factors, and (2) Investigate the relationship between stroke residents’ leisureactivity participation and HRQoL. Methods: A cross-sectional correlational research design with convenience sampling was applied to select 70 individuals with stroke living in long-term care facilities in Taiwan. The questionnaire included items regarding the residents’ characteristics, self-perceived health status, activities of daily living (ADLs), and leisure-activity participation frequency, as well as the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS). Results: (1) The female residents had a higher frequency of active leisure-activity participation than the male residents. (2) Self-perceived health status was significantly and positively correlated with the overall frequency of leisure-activity participation, static leisure activities, and active leisure activities, while ADLs were significantly and positively correlated with the overall frequency of leisure-activity participation, static leisure activities, active leisure activities, and periodic routine activities. (3) A significant positive correlation was found between overall HRQoL and ADLs, the overall frequency of leisure-activity participation, static leisure activities, and active leisure activities. Conclusions: The relationship between leisure-activity participation and HRQoL was identified. In order to improve the HRQoL of long-term care facility residents with stroke, it is suggested that staff members should provide individualized activities to enhance residents’ abilities to engage in ADLs and increase their participation in leisure activities. Further studies are needed to reveal whether improvement of leisureactivity participation could affect HRQoL in various dimensions.