The study retrospectively examines the effects of personal factors (e.g., depression), typical age-related diseases, and the modalities of moving into a nursing home (e.g., the voluntariness of the move) on life satisfaction and the adaptation to life in the home among capable elderly nursing home residents. Individual and factor-analytically designed self-assessments and external assessments of these factors are utilized. It is shown that depression outweighs all other contributing causes in its significance for adaptation. On the other hand, a subjectively good sense of health and voluntary relocation have a positive impact on satisfaction. The investigation discusses the implementation of its findings in practice and demonstrates that (cognitively less impaired) nursing home residents can spend their later years relatively contentedly.