Health-Related Quality of Life of Older Persons

Introduction: The proportion of people over 60 years is growing faster than any other age group. Increased longevity of older persons implies the need for attention and care as increasing age comes along with multiple health problems. Aim: To know the extent and perception of the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of older persons in terms of: physical and mental health, social functioning, emotional well-being, and spiritual health. It aimed to look into the variables significantly related to the HRQoL of older persons, particularly: health status, age, ethnicity, religion, gender, financial status, social support, educational attainment, marital status, and employment. Furthermore, it aimed to develop a module to enhance the HRQoL of older persons. Methods: Mixed method sequential explanatory design was used. There were 382 and 16 respondents for the quantitative method and qualitative method, respectively. The sample size was computed using the Open Epi version 3.01. A self-made questionnaire and a semi-structured interview guide were used to gather data. Statistical tools were used to analyze the quantitative data, while Colizi was used for the qualitative data. Results: The extent of HRQoL of older persons in terms of physical and Mental health is (61.64), Social Functioning (22.71), and Emotional well-being (24.34) interpreted as good HRQoL mean scores, while Spiritual health has a fair (7.50) HRQoL mean score. On the variables significantly related to HRQoL of older persons, gender is significantly related to spiritual health with a p=value of 0.022; social support is significantly related to emotional well-being with a p-value of 0.038; and marital status is significantly related to spiritual health with a p-value of 0.007. The other variables are not significantly related to the HRQoL of older persons in the areas of physical and mental health, social functioning, emotional well-being, and spiritual health. Conclusion: The existential quality of life of older persons remains suboptimal despite satisfactory functioning in activities of daily living, cognition, socialization, and psychological well-being. The influence of variables differs by domain: formal education affects physiologic and cognitive wellness, social support enhances emotional well-being, and married male older persons demonstrate better spiritual contentment. An active aging module was developed to holistically enhance and sustain the health-related quality of life (HRQoL of older persons.