Quality of life among older people in Sweden receiving help from informal and/or formal helpers at home or in special accommodation
TL;DR: A need for greater help with ADLs, and a higher number of self-reported diseases and complaints determined low quality of life, whilst a social network (contact with more than three people) and a greater age determined high QoL.
Abstract: The present study describes and compares quality of life (QoL) and factors which predict QoL among people aged 75 years and over who receive help with activities of daily living (ADLs) from formal and/or informal helpers. The subjects were living at home or in special accommodation in Sweden. A postal questionnaire was sent to a randomly selected and age-stratified sample of 8500 people. The response rate was 52.8% (n = 4337), and 1247 people [mean age (+/- SD) = 86.4 +/- 5.9 years] received help and indicated who helped them with ADLs. The findings suggest that a greater age, being a woman, being a widow/widower, a higher number of health-related complaints, needing more help with ADLs and a lower QoL were found among those receiving help in special accommodation in comparison with those receiving help at home. The extent of help was highest among those receiving help in special accommodation. Having help with ADLs every day at home indicated having help from both informal and formal helpers, while respondents receiving help from only informal or only formal helpers received the smallest amount of help with ADLs. A need for greater help with ADLs, and a higher number of self-reported diseases and complaints determined low QoL, whilst a social network (contact with more than three people) and a greater age determined high QoL. However, who the helpers were did not have a significant influence on QoL; it was the extent of help with ADLs that influenced QoL negatively and the density of the social network that influenced QoL positively.
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01 Jan 2012
TL;DR: In order to be able to provide care and service of high quality to older people, knowledge about factors influencing their experience of satisfaction with the care is essential as discussed by the authors, which is essential.
Abstract: In order to be able to provide care and service of high quality to older people, knowledge about factors influencing their experience of satisfaction with the care is essential.Aim: The aim was to ...
28 citations
TL;DR: A review and critical analysis of the literature on the relationship between the social networks of the elderly and their QL/well-being is presented in this paper, which reveals the lack of longitudinal studies into the causality between network characteristics and quality of life (QL) in old age.
Abstract: Several studies have documented the importance of social networks for quality of life (QL) in old age. This article presents a review and critical analysis of the literature on the relationship between the social networks of the elderly and their QL/well-being. A survey using interdisciplinary search engines [Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Scholar Google, Science Direct and Online Knowledge Library (b-on)], followed by an in-depth examination of the 37 documents subsequently identified, selected based on content, the geographical context of the study and its publication date, suggested a number of tendencies. In the first place, networks of friends have a greater impact on the QL/well-being of elderly persons than family networks. Secondly, the positive effect of the existence of more than one type of relationship was revealed (such as simultaneous friendships and family relationships). Finally, literature suggests emotional closeness has a positive impact on QL/well-being. The present study exposed the lack of longitudinal studies into the causality between network characteristics and QL/well-being. It also revealed the lack of research on the relationship between social networks and QL/well-being in elderly persons living alone. One problematic aspect relates to the fact that few studies provide a definition of the QL measures they adopt, or the rationale behind the manner of their operationalization of the concept.
28 citations
TL;DR: Care satisfaction and health-related quality of life among older people was more associated with functional impairment and health complaints than to whether care and service was received at home or in a special accommodation.
Abstract: AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore care satisfaction in relation to place of living, health-related quality of life, functional dependency and health complaints among people 65 years or older, receivi ...
27 citations
Cites background from "Quality of life among older people ..."
...It is well known that perceived health complaints and impaired functional ability decrease quality of life (HRQoL) (Hellström et al. 2004, Authors: Staffan Karlsson, MSc, PhD, RN, Senior Lecturer, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund; Anna-Karin Edberg, PhD,…...
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TL;DR: The results of this mixed-method study indicate that dependency had a negative influence on the elderly with cancer.
26 citations
Cites background from "Quality of life among older people ..."
...A study by Hellstrom et al. (2004) of elderly people receiving help in ADL (age 75þ, n ¼ 1247) showed that a high degree of help in Personal Activities of Daily Living (PADL) affected QoL highly negatively....
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TL;DR: Investigation of the relationships among depressive symptoms, physical function, health satisfaction, age and environment may predict quality of life in a model based on the Wilson and Cleary Model showed that QoL is likely to be influenced by the direct effects of environmental conditions, health dissatisfaction and age.
Abstract: The term quality of life (QoL) has been used in nursing for several years despite having neither a common conceptual model nor a common definition. The Wilson and Cleary Model (WCM), defined in 1995, is used as a conceptual model to identify suitable variables important in planning nursing care in a study among Norwegian older adults. The objective of this study was to investigate how the relationships among depressive symptoms, physical function, health satisfaction, age and environment may predict QoL in a model based on the WCM. The overall model provides empirical evidence for linkages in the WCM. Results showed that QoL is likely to be influenced by the direct effects of environmental conditions, health satisfaction and age. In addition, environmental conditions and age had indirect effects on QoL, in particular via depressive symptoms. Environment had both a significant direct and an indirect effect on QoL. An indirect effect of environment on QoL was shown with depressive symptoms, physical functio...
22 citations
Cites background or result from "Quality of life among older people ..."
...This study has no record of informal care performed by family or friends, thus, informal care could have influenced the QoL among our respondents (Hellström et al., 2004a)....
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...The reliability coefficient of the SF-12 (.66) in our study is similar (.67) to others (Hellström et al., 2004a), though lower than the commonlyaccepted rule of thumb that an a-level of .7 indicates acceptable reliability, and that .8 or higher indicates good reliability (Nunnally and Bernstein,…...
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...Studies have reported that depression predicts lower QoL among older adults, and lower QoL scores are strongly correlated with severity of depression (Hellström et al., 2004a)....
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...Considering that increasing need for help with activities of daily living, selfreported diseases and complaints determine lower QoL (Hellström et al., 2004a), nursing interventions that guide people to adapt to irreversible physical function decline with possible physical training, could…...
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...C o py ri gh t A m e ri ca n M e d ic al A ss o ci at io n , 1 9 9 5 ) pain were found to predict QoL among older adults (aged 75 and over) living at home without help (Hellström et al., 2004b)....
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References
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Abstract: A 36-item short-form (SF-36) was constructed to survey health status in the Medical Outcomes Study. The SF-36 was designed for use in clinical practice and research, health policy evaluations, and general population surveys. The SF-36 includes one multi-item scale that assesses eight health concepts: 1) limitations in physical activities because of health problems; 2) limitations in social activities because of physical or emotional problems; 3) limitations in usual role activities because of physical health problems; 4) bodily pain; 5) general mental health (psychological distress and well-being); 6) limitations in usual role activities because of emotional problems; 7) vitality (energy and fatigue); and 8) general health perceptions. The survey was constructed for self-administration by persons 14 years of age and older, and for administration by a trained interviewer in person or by telephone. The history of the development of the SF-36, the origin of specific items, and the logic underlying their selection are summarized. The content and features of the SF-36 are compared with the 20-item Medical Outcomes Study short-form.
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TL;DR: Twenty cross-sectional and longitudinal tests of empirical validity previously published for the 36-item short-form scales and summary measures were replicated for the 12-item Physical Component Summary and the12-item Mental Component Summary, including comparisons between patient groups known to differ or to change in terms of the presence and seriousness of physical and mental conditions.
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TL;DR: The 22-item Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale was subjected to a series of principal component analyses utilizing different item pools and rotating differing numbers of factors, suggesting three consistently reproduced factors.
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