The aging of the population and popularisation of the long-term care institutions in Poland confronts us with the challenge of improving the quality of these institutions and to evaluate the current state of its functioning.

The aim of the study was to evaluate and analyze needs of residents living in nursing homes using the Polish version of the Camberwell Assessment of Need for Elderly (CANE).

A sample of 300 residents from three urban cities was investigating using the Polish version of CANE. Data were collected from users, rater and staff involved. Subjects ranged in age from 74 to 102 with a mean age of 83,36±5,88.

The most frequent unmet needs highlighted by users, rater as well as by staff were: psychological distress, company, intimate relationships, information, eyesight/hearing/communication and daytime activities. However, the comparison of total number of needs illustrated that overall users reported significantly fewer met needs compared with staff involved (Z=8,25; p<0,0001) and rater (Z=8,29; p<0,0001) and significantly more unmet needs comparing with staff involved (Z=6,36; p<0,0001).

This study provides us with better understanding of an individual perspective of residents living in nursing houses in Poland perceived from different points of views. The results illustrated the differences in the unmet needs perception and pointed out that taking into account only staff perception may lead to under recognition of unmet needs.