Background <p>Depression is very common in older adults whose physical capacity systematically declines, making them increasingly unable to perform everyday activities. As a result, many are placed in care institutions. It is important to study both the quality of life and symptoms of depression in nursing homes, where strategies need to be effective and efficient. This cross-sectional study aims to assess the quality of life of older women receiving institutional care and its association with symptoms of depression in terms of socio-economic and demographic factors.</p> Methods <p>The research group consisted of 130 older female residents of care centres in Poland. Data regarding age, education, place of residence, marital status, number of children, and source of income were collected. The World Health Organization Quality of Life short questionnaire (WHOQoL-BREF) was used to assess quality of life. The Geriatric Depression Scale - Short Form (GDS-SF) was used to assess the intensity of depressive symptoms.</p> Results <p>A total of 71.5% of the women who participated in this study reported a good general quality of life, and half of the participants rated their health as good. Furthermore, 72% of the women reported results indicating no signs of depression. The general quality of life, self-evaluation of health, and quality-of-life domains - except for the somatic domain - were significantly associated with depressive symptoms in the respondents.</p> Conclusion <p>The prevalence of depressive symptoms among older women in institutional care in south-western Poland is moderate. The intensity of these depressive symptoms lowers the overall quality of life of care centre residents, as well as their self-assessment of health, and affects their quality of life in the psychological, social, and environmental domains.</p> Trial registration <p>ISRCTN platform as 18,225,729 11/01/2021.</p>