Quality of Life in Older Adults: Benefits from Caring Services in Hong Kong

• Published in: Social indicators research Vol. 71; no. 1/3; pp. 291 - 334
• Main Authors: Cheung, Jacky Chau Kiu, Kwan, Alex Yui Huen, Chan, Sophia Siu Chee, Ngan, Raymond Man Hung, Ng, Sik Hung, Leung, Edward Man Fuk, Lau, Anna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer 01.03.2005; Springer-Verlag New York, LLC; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult Care Services; Adults; Aged; Aging (Individuals); Care of the aged; Caring; Chronic diseases; Chronic Illness; Chronic illnesses; Community Relations; Cultural Activities; Day care centers; Elder care; Elderly; Exercise; Foreign Countries; Friendship; Health Needs; Health Services; Home Care; Home care services; Home Visits; Hong Kong; Hostels; Interpersonal Relations; Life Satisfaction; Medical Services; Needs Assessment; Nursing; Nursing care; Nursing homes; Older Adults; Older people; Physical Health; Polls & surveys; Program Effectiveness; Quality of Health Care; Quality of Life; Research methods; Residential Care; Self Actualization; Social Indicators; Social Services; Social work; Studies; Surveys; Volunteerism; Welfare economics; Hong Kong; Hong Kong China; China
• ISSN: 0303-8300; 1573-0921
• DOI: 10.1007/s11205-004-8021-3

Many older adults are in need of care. Therefore, older people would generally benefit from the use of caring services, notably including home care, residential care, nursing, and medical services. The contributory factors underlying caring services tend to be a caring perspective that aspires to sustain older people's social relationships and real-life involvement. To gauge the benefits from various social and health services, the present study relies on a large-scale survey of 3000 older adults in Hong Kong, using quality of life as a criterion. Results showed that an older adult who had used (ordinary or enhanced) home care services for a longer time turned out to have appreciably more improvement in quality of life. Besides, those who joined an interest group more frequently were higher in quality of life, including the health domain. On the other hand, frequent use of medical and meal-to-home services were signals that reflected problems detrimental to the older user's quality of life. Despite this, the quality of clinics or hospitals, as perceived by the older adult, was the most beneficial. As such, caring services that foster older adults' interests, cater to their health care needs, and embody quality can have principal contribution to their users' quality of life.