Quality of Life in Chinese elderly people with depression

Background Depression is the most prevalent functional mental disorder of later life. It is estimated that about 5% of the elderly population of Hong Kong are suffering from depression. Aim To investigate the self-rated quality of life of community-dwelling elderly people diagnosed with depression, and to examine the relationships between quality of life and mental, physical health, functional status and social support. Methods and results A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted in psychiatric outpatient clinics. A convenience sample of 80 Chinese elderly people with a diagnosis of depressive disorder was recruited. Perception of quality of life was measured by the Hong Kong Chinese World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale-Brief Version. Participants' mental status, functional abilities, physical health condition, and social support status were assessed. Sixty-one (76.3%) participants were female. They were least satisfied with meaningfulness of life, life enjoyment, concentration and thinking, energy and work capacity. Functional abilities had a positive association with participants' perceived quality of life, level of depression and number of physical health conditions had a negative association. Participants had low ratings of quality of life when compared with healthy persons and persons with chronic physical problems. Findings are discussed in light of the socio-cultural environment in Hong Kong. Conclusion Comprehensive treatment and better control of depression, including different modes of medical and psychosocial intervention, could help to improve participants' perception of quality of life. A longitudinal study with a larger sample with various levels of depression and socio-demographic characteristics is recommended. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Social communication in older age: Lessons from people with aphasia

Lessons on social communication in older age are drawn from the stories and qualitative case reports of three older people who have aphasia following stroke. Descriptive accounts of participant responses to qualitative interviews and stimulated recall of natural conversations, together with information from a social network diary, provide evidence of aspects of social communication relevant to the older person with aphasia. The perspectives of individuals and common themes relating to social communication with family and friends, the experience of aphasia, and living with aphasia in older age are presented. The prominence of conversations and the role of storytelling and of humor within the daily social communication of older people are illuminated. Key words: aphasia, older people, social communication

Perspectives on quality of life by people with aphasia and their family: Suggestions for successful living

Understanding the client's perspective is essential for good practitioner care in rehabilitation after stroke, and nothing is more relevant than enquiring directly about our clients' quality of life to inform our management. Relatively little is known about how older people with aphasia consider the quality of their current lives, and this article seeks to explore this issue. Four women's accounts of their life quality are presented, as well as their husbands' or daughter's accounts of their lives. Their stories share some common elements. Who you love or share your life with; where you live; feeling independent and/or in control; and engaging in satisfying activities mattered to these women's life quality. The impact of aphasia varies across the cases, and the need to accept change for successful living is illustrated in all accounts.

Predictors of care-giver stress in families of preschool-aged children with developmental disabilities

Background This study examined the predictors, mediators and moderators of parent stress in families of preschool-aged children with developmental disability. Method One hundred and five mothers of preschool-aged children with developmental disability completed assessment measures addressing the key variables. Results Analyses demonstrated that the difficulty parents experienced in completing specific caregiving tasks, behaviour problems during these caregiving tasks, and level of child disability, respectively, were significant predictors of level of parent stress. In addition, parents’ cognitive appraisal of care-giving responsibilities had a mediating effect on the relationship between the child’s level of disability and parent stress. Mothers’ level of social support had a moderating effect on the relationship between key independent variables and level of parent stress. Conclusions Difficulty of care-giving tasks, difficult child behaviour during care-giving tasks, and level of child disability are the primary factors which contribute to parent stress. Implications of these findings for future research and clinical practice are outlined.