The Relationship between Quality of Life and Cognitive Functions, Anxiety and Depression among Hospitalized Elderly Patients

Abstract

ObjectiveOlder people seek not only a longer life, but also a better quality of life (QOL). Our aim was to find out the relationship between QOL and socio-demographic factors, social activities, cognitive status, depression and anxiety symptoms among medically ill and hospitalized elderly people in Turkey.MethodsTwo hundred forty three patients age 65 years or older were examined. The Socio-demographic Data Survey, the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Geriatric Depression Scale-short form (GDS-15), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Older Adults Module (WHOQOL-OLD) were applied to participants. The independent samples t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze quantitative data. Pearson’s correlation and linear regression analysis were performed.ResultsThe total score for QOL was significantly higher for those who saw their family members and relatives frequently rather than rarely (p=0.002), who were always busy with social activities rather than rarely or never (p<0.001), who had more years of education (p=0.003), and who were frequently exercising (p=0.023). According to linear regression analysis, the WHOQOL-OLD total score increased by 0.295 and −0.936 units, while MMSE and GDS-15 scale scores increased one unit respectively (β=0.295, t=1.979, p=0.04; β=−0.936, t=−4.881, p<0.001).ConclusionCognitive disabilities, depression, and other psychiatric problems along with medical disease negatively affect the QOL of elderly patients. While performing medical assessment regarding elders, detecting and treating cognitive disabilities and depression is very valuable in improving the QOL of elderly patients.

The Association Between the Changes in General, Family, and Financial Aspects of Quality of Life and Their Effects on Cognitive Function in an Elderly Population: The Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, 2008–2016

“…Similar to Saracli et al and Helvik et al, we identified an association between quality of life and cognitive function [20,25]. Similar to the previous studies [5,20,25], our study found that participants who have a good quality of life for years have the least risk of low cognitive function, whereas those who have a poor quality of life for years, or a worsening quality of life, had the highest or a higher risk of low cognitive function. An interesting factor was found in the group of people whose quality of life had improved.…”

“…In older adults, quality of life can have an overall association on the deterioration of cognitive function, including personal, familial, and social factors [24,25]. In line with that, quality of life can be expressed as the mixture of intrapersonal and social normative elements in past, current, and future [13,20,25,26]. Among the elderly population, quality of life showed a linkage with their cognitive level [27,28].…”

“…Cognitive function determines an individual's ability to complete information transformation, decision making, and daily activities [15,16]. Previous studies have associated cognitive function with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obstructive pulmonary disease [17][18][19][20]. However, cognitive function is also related to socioeconomic factors such as resident area, occupation, and education level that can influence quality of health [21,22].…”

Association between age associated cognitive decline and health related quality of life among Iranian older individuals

“…It is reported that there is a strong relation between lower quality of life and depression. (41) Mental conditions like depression are strong predictors of quality of life compared to physical disabilities (42). Literature review findings suggest an obvious and consistent connection between depression and quality of life in both community dwelling and institutional older adults (43).…”

Effects of dropping out of dental treatment on the oral health-related quality of life among middle-aged subjects using web research

“…Oral health is reported to be a very important part of one’s well-being according to the World Health Organization [ 10 ], and the oral health-related quality of life shares a relationship with the general quality of life [ 11 , 12 ]. Several studies have explored ways to measure the oral health-related quality of life.…”