Abstract

SOARES, Anabela de Sousa Ferreira  and  AMORIM, Maria Isabel Soares Parente Lajoso. Quality of life and spirituality in institutionalized senior citizens. Revista Portuguesa de Enfermagem de Saúde Mental [online]. 2015, n.spe2, pp.45-51. ISSN 1647-2160.

Associated to the aging process of our population is a progressive deterioration of one’s main capabilities, especially the functional ones, which frequently result in the institutionalisation in residential care homes. This situation may viewed by the elderly as a cause for stress.  Spirituality can be seen as an adaptation mechanism and it is important to evaluate its relationship to the Quality of Life, which is the main objective of this study. A correlational-descriptive and transversal study took place using a representative sample of senior citizens residents in a care home in the county of Viana do Castelo (n=47). Investigative protocol was used, comprising of an evaluation of the socio-demographics Quality of Life and Spirituality. Overall, the principal results of this study suggest that the elderly perceive to have a reasonable Quality of Life and, hope/faith, proved to be an important variable in the social domain of the Quality of Life.

Keywords : Aging; Institutionalization; Quality of life; Spirituality.

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