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Subject: search.filters.subject.Older people's quality of life

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    Assessing cognitive functioning in older adults and its relationship to quality of life : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2013) Callow, Lauren May
    Cognitive impairment of any magnitude carries an undetermined societal and individual cost. The desire to accurately predict cognitive decline at an early stage is sought-after as robust cognitive health and function in later life is desirable. Knowing who is at risk and what those risks may be is imperative for targeting interventions to those in need. The lack of nationally representative information regarding cognitive functioning means that there is little information about base rates of cognitive functioning. This represents a problem in terms of gauging the incidence of cognitive impairment and difficulties related to planning for social and health expenditure for the ageing population. This thesis explores the validity and reliability of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-Revised and develops New Zealand norms for the measure using data from the New Zealand Longitudinal Study of Ageing. These demographically stratified norms will help to determine those people who may be more vulnerable to a dementing process. The information is applied in the context of examining the impact of cognitive functioning on quality of life; an important concept to consider in research. In article one, a pilot study of the use of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) with older community dwelling adults, the utility of the measure was supported. In article two, the ACE-R was integrated into a nationwide longitudinal study of older adults. Stratified demographic norms were created. This is the first known nationally representative New Zealand study to provide evidence of the impact of age, gender and ethnicity on measures of cognitive functioning. In article three this information was applied in the study of the relationship between cognitive functioning and quality of life. Results suggested that cognitive functioning has a small significant association with quality of life in older age and a much larger association in those who display cognitive functioning difficulties. This research adds to the research base in New Zealand by providing representative norms from which older adults can be compared in a meaningful and specific way.
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    The impact of visual impairment on quality of life among older persons in rural northwest Thailand : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2013) Phatcha Hirunwatthanakul
    Worldwide, those who are visually impaired are found to be older, in poorer health and less well-off economically than those who are not. The majority live in developing countries with the highest proportion found in Southeast Asia. Visual impairment has been found to have an overwhelmingly negative impact on quality of life (QOL) among those so affected. Thus, the rate of visual impairment among older Thais living in rural areas of Northeast Thailand, the poorest and most rural region in the country, is expected to be high and QOL to be low. This study examined the rate of visual impairment and its impact on QOL among a representative sample of older persons living in rural areas of Northeast Thailand along with other variables thought to impact QOL. As expected, a high rate of visual impairment was found in this area. Those who were visually impaired were found to be significantly older, worse off economically and to have lower overall perception of health than those who were not. As also expected, they were found to be worse-off on all of the measures of QOL assessed. However, when age, overall perception of health and economic status were controlled for, no differences on QOL were found between those who were visually impaired and those who were not. Visual impairment, therefore, was not found to have the overwhelmingly negative impact on QOL expected. This finding was unique to this study but not altogether surprising as the lifestyle of these participants was very different than that of those previously studied. Older Thais in rural areas primarily live in extended families with their care provided for by their children as a matter of respect. The assessment of other variables thought to impact QOL revealed that overall perception of health, physical health, psychological well-being, environment and intimacy were found to make a unique contribution to variance in QOL among the sample as a whole. Recommendations to improve the environment, including economic conditions, and physical health for all were made as a means to improve QOL for those who were visually impaired as well.
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    The influence of medication use on adopting healthy lifestyle behaviours, and health-related quality of life for older adults with heart trouble : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Health Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2013) Ramjee, Zanisha Mukesh
    Currently, cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in New Zealand. The combination of non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors contributes to the disease. Medication can be used to treat modifiable risk factors to slow down the progression of cardiovascular disease. In conjunction with medication, modifiable lifestyle changes such as physical activity, non-smoking, and diet can further discourage the progression of cardiovascular disease. This exploratory study aimed to investigate if medication use influences adopting healthy lifestyle changes, and if health-related quality of life is affected. Using secondary data from the Health, Work, and Retirement Longitudinal study, a total of 406 participants with heart trouble were identified. This sample comprised of males and females aged between 49-72 years old, who completed a questionnaire about their health, work and retirement. The results of the study showed that physical activity was associated with a better quality of life and that medication use did not significantly moderate this relationship. However, significant main effects between medication use and physical activity were observed. The number of days being active decreased as the number of prescribed medications increased. Main effects between non-smoking and medication, and non-smoking and quality of life were non-significant. Cumulatively, there are mixed results of this study compared to some the literature. Due to the nature of the data used, several limitations were identified. Nevertheless, this exploratory study was useful to shed light on the idea that medication use can perhaps influence healthy lifestyle behaviours for older adults, and thus this should be explored further to ensure effective treatment plans for patients with cardiovascular disease.