Relationship of some psychosocial and biological factors with the life expectancy of older adults

Individualised approach to the organisation of care for older adults aims at providing for the longest possible life duration along with good quality of life. The question is which factors contribute, and to which extent in achieving this aim. The research aim was to explore the associations among biological and psychosocial factors in the prediction of survival in old adults residing in retirement homes. Methods: Participants were 534 residents of 11 retirement homes in Zagreb, Croatia, 376 (70, 4%) women, aged 56-96 years (average 79), ambulatory, and not diagnosed with dementia at the baseline. Variables were: Life status (alive/deceased), Biochemical (measured from the vein blood sample), collected at the baseline, and: Psychosocial - sociodemographic, self-perceived health, functional ability, cognitive function, depression, and social participation, collected at the baseline and at 2-year follow-up, individually, in the institution, by trained interviewers. Findings: Survival analysis confirmed significant effects of the observed variables set on the life duration (p