A European perspective on quality of life in old age

Abstract

This article focuses on the scientific study of quality of life in old age and summarises, on the one hand, what we know and, on the other, what further research is needed. It consists of three main parts, with an extended introduction charting the recent evolution of a European perspective on ageing. First of all, it emphasises the amorphous, multidimensional and complex nature of quality of life and the high level of inconsistency between scientists in their approach to this subject. Secondly, the article summarises the main areas of consensus about quality of life in old age-its dynamic multifaceted nature, the combination of life course and immediate influences, the similarities and differences in the factors determining quality of life between younger and older people, the most common associations with quality of life and the likely variations between groups, and the powerful role of subjective self-assessment. Thirdly, the main research priorities and gaps in knowledge are outlined, together with the key methodological issues which must be tackled if comparative, interdisciplinary research on quality of life is to develop further. The main sources for the article are two European Framework Programme projects-the one a small five-country comparison and the other a large multidimensional project which, among other things, has been developing recommendations for research on quality of life in old age and included an extensive literature review on this topic. The article also draws on the recently completed UK Growing Older Programme of research on extending quality of life.

Day care centre attendance and quality of life in depressed older adults living in the community

“…To our knowledge, this is the first study highlighting such kind of association, and it is interesting to note that the correlation was found to be independent of other well-acknowledged determinants of the QOL such as functional status, including balance and gait abilities, severity of depression and comorbidity (Walker 2005).…”

“…As far as QOL was concerned, measuring it in absolute terms seems to be quite a difficult task due to its multidimensional and complex nature (Walker 2005). We chose to use the EuroQol VAS because it is quick and easy to administer, and can provide a reliable measure of the subjective aspects of the QOL.…”

“…The correlation between QOL and DC attendance was investigated not only by taking into account acknowledged determinants of the QOL such as functional status, comorbidity and severity of depression (Walker 2005) but also the possible influence of the background characteristics of patients.…”

“…However, it must be stressed that there are important differences in the determinants of QOL between adults and older people, with health and functional ability having a much greater importance among the latter (Bowling 2008;Walker 2005). Therefore, in order to improve the QOL in older adults suffering from depressive disorders, health and functional abilities should be promoted alongside social participation.…”

Assessing quality of life in older people: psychometric properties of the WHOQOL-BREF

“…QOL can be conceived of as a multidimensional concept, referring to the subjective evaluation of different life domains, including cognitive functioning and well being (von Steinbu¨chel et al 2005). From a European perspective, comparative research on the similarities and differences in the QOL of older people living in different countries is needed for advance ageing research and to inform policy makers (Walker 2005). An important methodological issue in this respect concerns the availability of comparable scales with good psychometric properties to measure QOL in old age.…”