[Quality of life of people with severe dementia in nursing oases: empirical results and methodological implications].

Nursing oases (NOs) are a variant of segregated care for people with severe dementia in nursing homes. They can be understood as a constant living arrangement in one room for 4-7 persons with a special care concept and environmental design. During the daytime nurses are permanently present. Quality of life (QoL) is the focus because the efficacy of medical and nursing interventions should include measurement of QoL. There is a controversy whether NOs are really different from the traditional caring settings in long-term care. Advocates see NOs as a substantial contribution to improve QoL, especially for people with severe dementia but critics fear a rollback to the era of multibed rooms in nursing homes and emphasize the risk of losing autonomy. This article is differentiated into four parts. Firstly, reasons are given why NOs are an option for a professional and adequate fulfillment of needs for people with severe dementia and a definition of NOs is given. Secondly, selected results of NOs studies in Germany are shown which have mainly documented positive effects. Thirdly, on the background of US American research into Special Care Units methodological questions are discussed. The focus is on designs and the utilization of standardized and non-standardized instruments. In the concluding remarks it is discussed whether QoL is an adequate indicator of a good life for people with severe dementia in long-term care.