Back to Search
Start Over
Investigating Quality of Life from the Perspectives of Older Adults in Local Communities.
- Source :
-
Journal of aging & social policy [J Aging Soc Policy] 2022 Jul 04; Vol. 34 (4), pp. 588-606. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Jun 07. - Publication Year :
- 2022
-
Abstract
- Governments are increasingly interested in measuring quality of life (QoL) among older adults to inform policy. We demonstrate the advantages of situating an investigation of QoL in local contexts through a thematic analysis of focus group data collected in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada. Local and broader factors relating to QoL among older adults were explored. We examine three themes: Natural Environment considers how participants derive aspects of their sense of QoL from the unique natural environment in Chatham-Kent; Amalgamation's Influence on Identity explores how participants' sense of belongingness and place-based identity were shaped by the amalgamation of townships and communities that now constitute Chatham-Kent; and Ease of Travel and Independence examines how older adults' conceptions of QoL are closely connected to their ease of travel, which they connect with a sense of independence. Our findings provide further support for the importance of engaging directly with older adults to understand their perspectives of QoL in a local context, particularly when seeking to inform policy changes.
- Subjects :
- Aged
Focus Groups
Humans
Ontario
Environment
Quality of Life
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1545-0821
- Volume :
- 34
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Journal of aging & social policy
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 34098857
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2021.1927618