Poster Presentation
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
2:45 PM - 3:30 PM
Quality of life of older people with a disability in Ireland
Kathy Murphy, PhD, RN, BA, RNT1, Adeline Cooney, RN, BNS, RNT, MM1, Dympna Casey, PhD, RGN, BA, MA2, and Eamon O'Shea, PhD3. (1) Centre for Nursing Studies, St SAnthonys Campus, NUI, Galway, Galway, Ireland, (2) Centre for Nursing & Midwifery Studies, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland, (3) Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland
| Learning Objective #1: The learning will be able to:
Deliberate on key quality of life domains for older people with a disability.
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| Learning Objective #2: Analyze the implications of these domains for nursing practice and service delivery. |
The paper presents the findings of a research study carried out in Ireland in 2006 (Murphy et al., 2007) which explored quality of life issues for older people with a disability. The research adopted a grounded theory approach; purposive sampling was used initially with some relational sampling towards the latter interviews. The sample was comprised of 143 older people with one of six disabilities: stroke (n=20), arthritis (20), depression (20), sensory disability (20), a learning disability (24), and dementia (18). All participants lived at home, 40% were married, 32% were single, 28% widowed. The majority of participants also indicated that they attended Day Centers (66%), while 25% attended voluntary group associations and 9% availed of respite days. An interview schedule was used to guide interviews, all of which were tape recorded and transcribed. Some contextual quantitative and demographic data was also gathered from participants. The constant comparative technique was used to analyze qualitative data. In all five categories were identified; health, environment and local community, connectedness, sense of self and income. Each of these quality of life domains will be described and the particular issues for people with a disability identified. The findings indicate that perceptions of health changed with increased levels of disability, that the environment and place in which a person lives impacts significantly on a persons quality of life, social connectedness is fostered within local communities and is fundamental to the well being of older people with a disability. This paper will analyze key health issues for older people with a disability and critically review what matters for quality of life drawing on the perspectives of older people with a disability.