| Sumario: | Which dimensions have a decisive influence on the quality of life in nursing homes and which objective conditions could and should be changed to improve the situation of the residents of nursing homes? Can such questions be answered within the framework of an approach based on a daily life experience when life in nursing homes is so different from the every day life outside? Although there is a pressing need for answers to these questions, very little research has been conducted in this area to date. The furthering of empirically based knowledge, the development of concepts and the refinement and adaptation of research instruments are all crucial tasks currently facing researchers in this field. There are no one-dimensional causal relationships between objective conditions and subjectively experienced life quality. The latter is multidimensional and multidirectional, it changes over time and it varies according to cognitive-psychic and physical conditions. The objective of the project reported here was to study the quality of life in nursing homes from a radical subjective perspective that is reflected in the theoretical concepts and the methodological approaches adopted. Life quality in nursing homes can be enhanced and it can be hindered – and in both cases there are objective and subjective factors to be observed. In order to fulfil two tasks simultaneously – obtaining basic empirical insights and developing concepts and methods – we established a multi-method approach within the framework of an interdisciplinary perspective. Persons in nursing homes with slight or moderate cognitive impairments can be interviewed by standardised instruments, a fact which is mainly mirrored in the orientation capacity. For random sampling purposes, a systematically developed gradation of responsiveness is a useful guiding criterion. Additionally, life quality research in the setting of nursing homes requires a methodological approach on different levels with adaptable methods and instruments. The results from this study show that the degree of responsiveness and capacity of orientation are part of the life quality dimension and influence the results in terms of well-being which, in turn, is only one dimension among others. Therefore, life quality in the nursing home can be framed on three levels: individual resources, structural resources, well-being. The explanatory power of resources for subjectively felt well-being is shown in such relevant action-contexts as, for example, home admittance.
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