Quality of life (QoL) appears as an adequate outcome measure of geriatric rehabilitation since it reflects its major goals in terms of improvement in self-service, mobility, interpersonal behavior and communication. The objective of the present study was the application of a newly developed instrument, the 'Vienna List', in this context. Its sensitivity to detect changes during geriatric rehabilitation and the ability to differentiate between various diseases and disturbances of functional abilities has been investigated. The total population of patients of one geriatric rehabilitation clinic of 1 year (from November 2001 to October 2002; N=683) was evaluated at admission and discharge by means of this proxy rating. Several reasonable differences appeared between seven diagnostic groups as well as between admission and discharge concerning crucial areas, which are the focus of geriatric rehabilitation such as communication and mobility and which reflect an improved QoL. On the other hand, some factors remained mostly unaffected, e.g. negative affect and bodily contact. The 'Vienna List' which was originally developed for the assessment of QoL in severely demented patients, proved to be a useful, differentiating, less time-consuming and practical tool for the documentation of the outcome of geriatric inpatient rehabilitation.