A survey of the living conditions and psychological states of elderly people admitted to nursing homes in Japan.

We investigated the living conditions and the prevalence of depression in 920 elderly subjects admitted to 32 nursing homes. Their prevalence of depression was compared with that of 1153 elderly subjects living in the community. The prevalence of depression was determined by the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. Over half of the nursing home subjects were admitted directly from their familial residence and had been under supervision for more than 3 years. Most subjects participated in outdoor leisure activities, attended recreational events, communicated freely with others, and were visited by their children and relatives. Only 10% had living spouses. We evaluated 61% of the elderly people in the nursing homes and 36% of the elderly people in the community as depressed, a statistically significant difference.