Assessing Quality of Life and Related Factors in Bushehr's Elderly People

Added to the achievement of the 21st century, human life longevity has been increased. Elders should be supported. Aging may cause various problems such as decrease the abilities and high risk conditions. Age increase is not a disease; it is a normal change of life that affects everybody. In this study elderly needs were assessed and the physical, social and spiritual aspects of their life were evaluated to assess the quality of life (QOL) and related factors in elderly population in Bushehr. This descriptive–analytical study was carried out on 360 elders (male and female) in Bushehr. Method of sampling was cluster random sampling. Two questionnaires consist of demographic data and SF-36 questionnaire were used to assess QOL. Data were collected through client interview and analyzed by SPSS 13 software program. Results showed that mean scores of physical and mental health aspects of Bushehr's elderly people is less than 50. So, the physical and mental health aspects of quality of life related to economic status, employment, chronic illness, educational levels, insurance service, and owning the house were significantly (p<0.001) correlated. However, there were no significant relation with sex, daily activity, life condition were observed. We conclude that a suitable plan and program should be considered by the director & managers to improve the life quality of elderly people.