Turkish Journal of Geriatrics
2010 , Vol 13, Issue 4
ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER PEOPLE
İzmir Bozyaka Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Fizik Tedavi ve Rehabilitasyon Kliniği İZMİR
The demographic profile of the world's population is changing towards old age. Living longer
offers both significant opportunities and challenges. Elderly people who fulfilled many expectations
and demands early in life have significant opportunities to develop and contribute to their
personality and sociability. However, elderly people also face significant age-related challenges
associated with independence, social interactions, health-care, and community involvement activities.
Given the exponential growth of the elderly population, and the age-related opportunities
and difficulties, quality of life (QOL) becomes a key endpoint in defining the life experiences of
older people. Therefore, the scales used in assessing QOL of older people should be valid and reliable.
The high prevalence of chronic diseases in elderly people, and some conditions restricted
to later life such as chronic heart failure and dementia further emphasize the importance of appropriate
assessment of health-related QOL in older individuals.In this review, the factors associated with QOL in elderly people, the perception of health-related QOL of older individuals, the scales used in assessing older people and their limitations are discussed in view of the current literature.
Keywords : Aged; Aging; Quality of life