Abstract

Objective: Today, old age period is not only considered as chronological age but also it is emphasized the importance of healthy aging and high quality of life in old age while reaching this age. In study, it was aimed to evaluate the health-related quality of life status and the factors that could affect the quality of life of people aged 65 years or older who applied to a public hospital. Material and Method: The study was conducted with individuals aged 65 years or older who applied to a public hospital in Konya and agreed to participate in the study. In the data collection was used with the Life Quality Short Form-36 scale and a questionnaire investigating the sociodemographic characteristics and the presence of chronic diseases diagnosed by physicians.The data analyzed with appropriate statistical tests. Results: Seventy eight percent of the participants were in the 65-74 age group; 54,0% had a chronic illness, and 7,2% had a physical disability. Twenty seven percent stated the existence of an upsetting event about old age and 42,2% had sleeping problems. The mean score of the social functioning subscale of the study group was 48,52±20,48, sanity-mental health was 47,15±15,33, and the mean score in the general health field was 46,56±18,06. The pain score was higher in the ones with an upsetting event about old age (p=0,04) and those with sleep problems (p <0,001). Conclusion: The quality of life scores of the elderly people and its subscales are generally low in the study. There are upsetting events related to old age. When high chronic illness rate, sleeping problems and psychosocial problems during old age are considered together, we need to draw attention once more to the importance of the work towards monitoring and preventive services in elderly people.

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