Perceptions of quality of life of the elderly

Quality of life is difficult to define and assess but is fast becoming a standard of measure of long-term care. This exploratory pretest/posttest study utilized an eclectic approach to quality-of-life assessment with secondary data. This quality-of-life model was created by synthesizing the literature into six major life domains: (a) social well-being, (b) physical well-being, (c) psychological well-being, (d) cognitive well-being, (e) spiritual well-being, and (f) environmental well-being.;Perceptions of quality of life of the elderly from the perspectives of participants (N = 34) and their designated family members/friends (N = 23) were assessed while participants resided in a nursing home and again after they moved into an assisted living facility. Paired t tests and Wilcoxon signed ranks tests showed a significant improvement in perceptions of overall quality of life for both target groups between baseline and follow-up. Perceptions of each quality-of-life domain, notably social and environmental well-being, all increased with the exception of participants' perceptions of physical well-being. Independent t tests and Mann-Whitney U tests showed no significant differences between domain and overall quality-of-life scores for both target groups at either time period.;Considered separately were the "importance" of and "satisfaction" with quality-of-life subscales: (a) characteristics of environment; (b) characteristics of staff, care, and assistance; (c) social relations and activities; and (d) opportunities for choice. Independent t tests and Mann-Whitney U tests showed no significant differences between perceptions of participants and family members/friends with regard to the level of importance of and satisfaction with subscales at baseline or follow-up. Participants and family members/friends agreed that the environmental well-being domain and the subscale indexes of opportunities for choice and characteristics of environment were most important to determining perceptions of quality of life.;Findings suggest that more reliance be placed on indicators of social and environmental well-being as well as opportunities for choice when striving to maximize older people's perceptions of quality of life. As the number and needs of the elderly increase, services and public policies will need to be modified in order to optimize perspectives of quality of life.