Review; Quality of life in older Norwegian adults living at home; a cross-sectional survey

摘要

Demographic ageing around the world means that nurses will increasingly find themselves working with older people. Longevity is both an achievement and for some a challenge as later life is often accompanied with an array of age-related health changes and syndromes (Inouye et al., 2007). Internationally there has been a surge of interest in understanding the associations between specific health conditions and later life syndromes (see, for example, Coll-Planas et al., 2008). The reported Norwegian Study by Halvorsrud with its focus on the relationships between depressive symptoms, physical function and health satisfaction, age and environment is thus of its time. In keeping with studies that look beyond treatment efficacy to broader conceptualisations of clinical significance Halvorsrud focuses her work around the concept of quality of life. Quality of life is a familiar concept within nursing and is embedded within contemporary healthcare policy intentions. Broadly speaking we understand this concept as being about an individual's perception of their life's quality.