Assessment of the Relationship Between Caregiver Psychosocial Factors and the Quality of Life of the Elderly at Home in the Tamale Township

Abstract

Ageing predisposes one to chronic conditions, increased utilization of health facilities, increased dependency, and increased economic burden on governments. Thus, examining the quality of life of the elderly provides information that will help meet the needs of the elderly and their caregivers. The aim of the study was to examine the quality of life of the elderly, the relationship between caregiver psychosocial factors and the quality of life of the elderly. The other aim was to investigate the factors influencing the quality of life of the elderly. A multistage sampling method with a sample of 400 elderly and their caregivers was used. A modified Older People‟s Quality of Life scale, in addition to a structured questionnaire, were used to collect the data. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16 software. The findings of the study showed that, the quality of life of the elderly is above average. Age, gender and educational level had a significant influence on the quality of life of the elderly. Psychological and Emotional well-being, Independence and Freedom and Health were the most significant factors influencing the quality of life of the elderly. The results also showed that caregiver psychosocial factors were significantly negatively correlated to the quality of life of the elderly. Thus, the higher the caregivers stress, the lower the quality of life of the elderly and vice versa. The study further revealed that all the caregivers were related to the aged either through blood or by marriage. Age, gender, educational level and duration of care, of caregivers had a significant influence on the quality of life of the elderly.