The Quality of Life of Elderly Users of the “Supportive Centers for the Elderly” in Attiki

Abstract

Introduction: Demographic aging, resulting from increasing life expectancy and a decrease in the rates of both birth and mortality, is a social, economic and political problem for industrialized countries and is a key point of concern for governments and researchers. Elderly people in Greece constitute 19.3% of the total population. Aim: Investigation of the living standards of the elderly and their subjective perception of social support from family and environment and consideration of the extent to which the health of the elderly affects the way they view life. Method: Survey of users of the municipal “Supportive Centers for the Elderly” in the region of Attiki. Results: The study population consisted of 150 elderly persons. According to the findings of the survey, the elderly received higher social support from family than from friends. The quality of life was moderately good in the sample and the subjective life perception of the men was more positive than that of the women. Conclusions: The subjective social support for the elderly was associated with sex, age and education. The subjective perception of health was influenced by the degree of functionality, education, sex, age and family status.