Quality of life and functional fitness of the elderly

Study aim: To assess the perceived life quality and functional fitness of elderly subjects.

Material and methods: Two groups of subjects, aged 70 - 92 years, were studied: residents of a nursing home (Group R; n = 53) and those attending daytime nursing homes (Group D; n = 76). The EuroQol 5D questionnaire, and Romberg's and The Fullerton Functional Fitness tests were applied.

Results: Subjects from Group D perceived their daily functioning and general feeling much higher than those from Group R. Group R seemed more homogenous in that respect than Group D since only in the former all three indices of the quality of life (daily functioning, general feeling and perceived health) were significantly intercorrelated (p<0.05 - 0.001).

Conclusions: Social aid for the elderly ought to be focused on stimulating them to be active instead of giving them a direct assistance only.