Background Study older adults’ quality of life is becoming increasingly important in the assessment, quality improvement and allocation of health and social care service. The purpose of this study was to enhance knowledge on the relationship between modifiable (psychological variables) and non-modifiable variables (sociodemographic), and quality of life in elderly, regarding psychological and social variables in Portuguese context. Methods This is a cross-sectional study, including 604 older adults from general community. 63.6% of the sample was composed by female gender with a mean age of 71.6(SD = 4.81). Participants completed the following instruments: Barthel Index to assess functionality; Satisfaction with Social Support Scale to assess social support; The Spiritual and Religious Attitudes in Dealing with Illness to assess spirituality and Short Form Health Survey 36, to assess mental and physical quality of life. Results A path analysis model was performed where the presence of a chronic disease, age and functionality has a direct effect on physical quality of life and spirituality had a direct effect on mental quality of life. Social support mediated the relationship between functionality and mental quality of life, and in turn, functionality mediated the relationship between age and physical quality of life. Conclusions Results reinforce the effect of age and chronic disease as non-modifiable variables as well as functionality, spirituality and satisfaction with social support as modifiable variables, in the quality of life of older people. Social support, health and education programs in the community should be promoted in order to improve quality of life in this population. Strategies to promote functionality and enhance the social support network, especially in the elder with chronic illness, should be a priority.

Let D n be the pseudovariety of all ÿnite semigroups in which products of length n are right zeros and let D = n≥1 Dn. It is shown in this paper that, if V is a pseudovariety of semigroups whose global gV is ÿnitely based, then V * Dn (n ≥ 1) and V * D are also ÿnitely based. Moreover, if V is itself ÿnitely based and contains the aperiodic ÿve-element Brandt semigroup, then gV is also ÿnitely based. As a further application, it is proved that the ÿnite basis properties for gV, V * D and V * D n (n ≥ 1) are all equivalent for an arbitrary non-group monoidal pseudovariety V:

Background: Study older adults' quality of life is becoming increasingly important in the assessment, quality improvement and allocation of health and social care service. The purpose of this study was to enhance knowledge on the relationship between modifiable (psychological variables) and nonmodifiable variables (sociodemographic), and quality of life in elderly, in order to inform social, health and education policies.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, including 604 older adults from general community. 63.6% of the sample was composed by female gender with a mean age of 71.6(SD=4.81). Participants completed the following instruments: Barthel Index to assess functionality; Satisfaction with Social Support Scale to assess social support; The Spiritual and Religious Attitudes in Dealing with Illness to assess spirituality and Short Form Health Survey 36, to assess mental and physical quality of life. Results: A path analysis model was performed where the presence of a chronic disease, age and functionality has a direct effect on physical quality of life and spirituality had a direct effect on mental quality of life. Social support mediated the relationship between functionality and mental quality of life, and in turn, functionality mediated the relationship between age and physical quality of life. Conclusions: Results reinforce the effect of age and chronic disease as non-modifiable variables as well as functionality, spirituality and satisfaction with social support as modifiable variables, in the quality of life of older people. Social support, health and education programs in the community should be promoted in order to improve quality of life in this population. Strategies to promote functionality and enhance the social support network, especially in the elder with chronic illness, should be a priority.

Background: Study older adults’ quality of life is becoming increasingly important in the assessment, quality improvement and allocation of health and social care service. The purpose of this study was to enhance knowledge on the relationship between modifiable (psychological variables) and non-modifiable variables (sociodemographic), and quality of life in elderly, regarding psychological and social variables in Portuguese context.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, including 604 older adults from general community. 63.6% of the sample was composed by female gender with a mean age of 71.6(SD=4.81). Participants completed the following instruments: Barthel Index to assess functionality; Satisfaction with Social Support Scale to assess social support; The Spiritual and Religious Attitudes in Dealing with Illness to assess spirituality and Short Form Health Survey 36, to assess mental and physical quality of life.Results: A path analysis model was performed where the presence of a chronic disease, age and functionality has a direct effect on physical quality of life and spirituality had a direct effect on mental quality of life. Social support mediated the relationship between functionality and mental quality of life, and in turn, functionality mediated the relationship between age and physical quality of life.Conclusions: Results reinforce the effect of age and chronic disease as non-modifiable variables as well as functionality, spirituality and satisfaction with social support as modifiable variables, in the quality of life of older people. Social support, health and education programs in the community should be promoted in order to improve quality of life in this population. Strategies to promote functionality and enhance the social support network, especially in the elder with chronic illness, should be a priority.

BackgroundViolence by intimate partners (IPV) can be prevented and its impact reduced. This calls for to deal with violence from a public health perspective, according the ecological model, associated to a multidisciplinary and multisectoral networking approach. In Coimbra various sectors are working together from 2000, in tackling the problem of IPV. Health sector is an active and valuable ally in the global response to violence and brings a variety of advantages and assets to this work, from primary to terciary prevention, including programs for victims and perpetrators.Description of the problemIPV is a serious problem that occurs in all countries, among heterosexual or same-sex couples. The consequences are profound, extending beyond the health and happiness of individuals to affect the well-being of entire communities.ResultsOur strategies are addressed to prevention (al all levels). We deal with violence taking steps to understand the range of factors that put people at risk for violence and protect them from experiencing or perpetrating violence. Our fundamental goal is to stop IPV before it begins. Networks “Violence´s Group: Information, Research, Intervention” (2002), “School Against Violence” (2007), along with the training of 480 professionals (health, other sectors) in our region (2009–2012), in the area of prevention of IPV, are examples of our networking strategy. The Family Violence Unit, UVF (2004) - CHUC, integrates both networks; of the 1400 cases (2/3 women, 1/3 men) at UVF, we did not record any murder to date. Our strategy is recognised at regional and national levels.ConclusionsWe believe that prevent efforts associated to investigation and a networking strategy (from micro to macrosystem, throughout the life cycle), at individual, family, community, and political levels, are one of the keys to prevent IPV.