Abstract

This study aimed to determine which factors are associated with scores on the Death and Dying dimension of The World Health Organization Quality of Life-OLD (WHOQOL-old) questionnaire in a population of older adults living in Long-term Care Facilities (LTCF) in Brazil. This was a representative cross sectional study conducted in Brazil. The sample was comprised of 127 older adults, aged 60-80+ who resided in long-term care facilities at the time of data collection. The World Health Organization Quality of Life-OLD questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life across various dimensions. Sociodemographic variables (sex, age, marital status, educational background) and tools including the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Timed Up and Go (TUG), Katz Index of Independence, and Dynamometer grip strength were investigated as variables. Statistical analyses of T-test and ANOVA were used to compare the means. The Death and Dying dimension yielded the lowest mean on the WHOQOL-old. None of the exploratory variables investigated had a statistically significant relationship with the Death and Dying dimension, despite GDS scores being inversely correlated with scores on the WHOQOL-old overall (p< 0.001). Low scores on the Death and Dying dimension stress the need for care to incorporate emotional preparedness for death in LTCF to enhance the quality of life.

Keywords

old death, long-term care, older adults, quality of life, aging, older population, sociodemographic variables, interpretative process, self-perception, biological, psychosocial and social conditions, gerontological research, dynamometer grip strength, parkinson’s disease, caregivers