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Quality of life among older people in Sweden receiving help from informal and/or formal helpers at home or in special accommodation

Hellström, Ylva LU ; Andersson, Magdalena LU and Hallberg, IR (2004) In Health & Social Care in the Community 12(6). p.504-516
Abstract
The present study describes and compares quality of life (QoL) and factors which predict QoL among people aged 75 years and over who receive help with activities of daily living (ADLs) from formal and/or informal helpers. The subjects were living at home or in special accommodation in Sweden. A postal questionnaire was sent to a randomly selected and age-stratified sample of 8500 people. The response rate was 52.8% (n = 4337), and 1247 people [mean age (+/- SD) = 86.4 +/- 5.9 years] received help and indicated who helped them with ADLs. The findings suggest that a greater age, being a woman, being a widow/widower, a higher number of health-related complaints, needing more help with ADLs and a lower QoL were found among those receiving help... (More)
The present study describes and compares quality of life (QoL) and factors which predict QoL among people aged 75 years and over who receive help with activities of daily living (ADLs) from formal and/or informal helpers. The subjects were living at home or in special accommodation in Sweden. A postal questionnaire was sent to a randomly selected and age-stratified sample of 8500 people. The response rate was 52.8% (n = 4337), and 1247 people [mean age (+/- SD) = 86.4 +/- 5.9 years] received help and indicated who helped them with ADLs. The findings suggest that a greater age, being a woman, being a widow/widower, a higher number of health-related complaints, needing more help with ADLs and a lower QoL were found among those receiving help in special accommodation in comparison with those receiving help at home. The extent of help was highest among those receiving help in special accommodation. Having help with ADLs every day at home indicated having help from both informal and formal helpers, while respondents receiving help from only informal or only formal helpers received the smallest amount of help with ADLs. A need for greater help with ADLs, and a higher number of self-reported diseases and complaints determined low QoL, whilst a social network (contact with more than three people) and a greater age determined high QoL. However, who the helpers were did not have a significant influence on QoL; it was the extent of help with ADLs that influenced QoL negatively and the density of the social network that influenced QoL positively. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
quality of life, living in special accommodation, home, living at, informal help, formal help, health-related quality of life
in
Health & Social Care in the Community
volume
12
issue
6
pages
504 - 516
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • wos:000224469300005
  • pmid:15717897
  • scopus:7544237980
  • pmid:15717897
ISSN
0966-0410
DOI
10.1111/j.1365-2524.2004.00519.x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
16c6cbfd-4bd9-439a-b7cc-7d2c4beabd37 (old id 898134)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:37:28
date last changed
2022-01-26 07:48:41
@article{16c6cbfd-4bd9-439a-b7cc-7d2c4beabd37,
  abstract     = {{The present study describes and compares quality of life (QoL) and factors which predict QoL among people aged 75 years and over who receive help with activities of daily living (ADLs) from formal and/or informal helpers. The subjects were living at home or in special accommodation in Sweden. A postal questionnaire was sent to a randomly selected and age-stratified sample of 8500 people. The response rate was 52.8% (n = 4337), and 1247 people [mean age (+/- SD) = 86.4 +/- 5.9 years] received help and indicated who helped them with ADLs. The findings suggest that a greater age, being a woman, being a widow/widower, a higher number of health-related complaints, needing more help with ADLs and a lower QoL were found among those receiving help in special accommodation in comparison with those receiving help at home. The extent of help was highest among those receiving help in special accommodation. Having help with ADLs every day at home indicated having help from both informal and formal helpers, while respondents receiving help from only informal or only formal helpers received the smallest amount of help with ADLs. A need for greater help with ADLs, and a higher number of self-reported diseases and complaints determined low QoL, whilst a social network (contact with more than three people) and a greater age determined high QoL. However, who the helpers were did not have a significant influence on QoL; it was the extent of help with ADLs that influenced QoL negatively and the density of the social network that influenced QoL positively.}},
  author       = {{Hellström, Ylva and Andersson, Magdalena and Hallberg, IR}},
  issn         = {{0966-0410}},
  keywords     = {{quality of life; living in special accommodation; home; living at; informal help; formal help; health-related quality of life}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{504--516}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Health & Social Care in the Community}},
  title        = {{Quality of life among older people in Sweden receiving help from informal and/or formal helpers at home or in special accommodation}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2524.2004.00519.x}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/j.1365-2524.2004.00519.x}},
  volume       = {{12}},
  year         = {{2004}},
}