Quality of life in the elderly: A meta-synthesis

Most of the elderly suffer from chronic diseases and receive constant treatment, which can influence their quality of life. It is therefore crucial to gain a thorough understanding of the elderly’s quality of life with the aim of carrying out proper care and support interventions.
This qualitative meta-synthesis investigated the concept of quality of life among the elderly and the factors that may influence it. Four qualitative, phenomenological studies focusing on the elderly’s quality of life were analyzed. Major themes were subsequently extracted and final interpretations were made. At the end, a conceptual framework was proposed for the associations among concepts, dimensions, and influential factors of the elderly’s quality of life. All ethical issues were observed in this study and the researchers declared no conflict of interests.
The results indicated that quality of life in the elderly is a complicated and abstract concept consisting of six main dimensions: internal individual factors, external individual factors, health, familial experiences, social interactions, and environmental factors.
Physical health in the elderly relies on individuals’ independence, free will, and internal individual factors (including the degree of the interaction between the senior and religious/spiritual resources, which constitute individuals’ mental health). Religious and spiritual resources are so integral during old age that they can compensate for the lack of familial and social support. Thus, connection with God will remove loneliness among the elderly, help them adapt themselves to their condition, and improve their quality of life.