Abstract
This article focuses on the scientific study of quality of life in old age and summarises, on the one hand, what we know and, on the other, what further research is needed. It consists of three main parts, with an extended introduction charting the recent evolution of a European perspective on ageing. First of all, it emphasises the amorphous, multidimensional and complex nature of quality of life and the high level of inconsistency between scientists in their approach to this subject. Secondly, the article summarises the main areas of consensus about quality of life in old age—its dynamic multifaceted nature, the combination of life course and immediate influences, the similarities and differences in the factors determining quality of life between younger and older people, the most common associations with quality of life and the likely variations between groups, and the powerful role of subjective self-assessment. Thirdly, the main research priorities and gaps in knowledge are outlined, together with the key methodological issues which must be tackled if comparative, interdisciplinary research on quality of life is to develop further. The main sources for the article are two European Framework Programme projects—the one a small five-country comparison and the other a large multidimensional project which, among other things, has been develo** recommendations for research on quality of life in old age and included an extensive literature review on this topic. The article also draws on the recently completed UK Growing Older Programme of research on extending quality of life.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersson L (2005) Sweden: quality of life in old age I. In: Walker A (ed) Growing older in Europe. Open University Press, Maidenhead, pp 105–127
Andrews FM (ed) (1986) Research on the quality of life. University of Michigan, Michigan
Andrews FM, Withey SB (1976) Develo** measures of perceived life quality: results from several national surveys. Soc Indic Res 1:1–26
Baltes PB, Baltes MM (eds) (1990) Successful ageing. Perspectives from the Behavioural Sciences, Cambridge University Press, New York
Beaumont JG, Kenealy PM (2004) Quality of life—perceptions and comparisons in healthy old age. Ageing Soc 24:755–770
Bengtson V, Rosenthal C, Burton L (1996) Paradoxes of family and aging. In: Binstock R, George L (eds) Handbook of aging and the social sciences. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 263–287
Bigelow DA, McFarlane BH, Olson MM (1991) Quality of Life of Community Mental Health Programme Clients: validating a measure. Community Mental Health J 27:43–55
Bond J (1999) Quality of life for people with dementia: approaches to the challenge of measurement. Ageing Soc 19:561–579
Bowling A (1994) Social networks and social support among older people and implications for emotional well-being and psychiatric morbidity. Int Rev Psychiatr 9:447–459
Bowling A (1997) Measuring health. Open University Press, Buckingham
Bowling A (2004) A taxonomy and overview of quality of life. In: Brown J, Bowling A, Flynn T (eds) Models of quality of life: a taxonomy and systematic review of the literature. FORUM Project, University of Sheffield
Bowling A, Windsor J (2001) Towards the good life. J Happiness Stud 2:55–81
Bowling A, Banister D, Sutton S, Evans O, Windsor J (2002) A multidimensional model of the quality of life in older age. Ageing Mental Health 6:355–371
Bradburn NM (1969) The structure of psychological well-being. Aldine Press, Chicago
Brandtstädter J, Renner G (1990) Tenacious goal pursuit and flexible goal adjustment: explication of age-related analysis of assimilative and accommodative strategies of co**. Psychol Ageing 5:58–67
Brown J, Bowling A, Flynn T (2004) Models of quality of life: a taxonomy and systematic review of the literature. FORUM Project, University of Sheffield (http://www.shef.ac.uk/ageingresearch)
Calman KC (1984) Quality of life in cancer patients—a hypothesis. J Med Ethics 10:124–127
Clarke PJ, Marshall VW, Ryff CD, Rosenthal CJ (2000) Well-being in Canadian seniors: findings from the Canadian study of health and aging. Can J Aging 19:139–159
Cooper K, Arber S, Fee L, Ginn J (1999) The influence of social support and social capital in health. Health Education Authority, London
Deeg DJH, Bosscher RJ, Broese van Groenou MI et al. (2000) Ouder Worden in Nederland. Thela Thesis, Amsterdam
European Commission (2003) Draft Joint Inclusion Report, Statistical Annex, COM 2003 773 final. European Commission, Brussels
Evandrou M, Glaser K (2004) Family, work ad quality of life; changing economic and social roles through the lifecourse. Ageing Soc 24:771–792
Farquahar M (1995) Elderly people’s definitions of quality of life. Soc Sci Med 41:1439–1446
Fernández-Ballesteros R (1998a) Quality of life: concept and assessment. In: Adair JG, Belanger D, Dion KL (eds) Advances in psychological science. Psychology Press, East Sussex, pp 387–406
Fernández-Ballesteros R (1998b) Quality of life: the differential conditions. Psychol Spain 2:57–65
Fernández-Ballesteros R, Zamarrón MD, Marciá A (1996) Calidad de vida en la vejez en distintos contextos. IMERSO, Madrid
Fernández-Ballesteros R, Zamarrón MD, Ruiz MA (2001) The contribution of socio-demographic and psychosocial factors to life satisfaction. Ageing Soc 21:25–43
Ferring D, Wenger GC, Hoffmann M (2003) Comparative report on the European model of ageing well. Centre for Social Policy Research and Development, University of Wales, Bangor
Filipp SH, Ferring D (1998) Regulation of subjective well-being in old age by temporal and social comparison processes? Zeitschr Klin Psychol—Forsch Prax 27:93–97
Freund AM, Baltes PB (1998) Selection, optimization and compensation as strategies of life management: correlations with subjective indicators of successful ageing. Psychol Aging 13:531–543, Erratum in Psychol Aging (1999) vol 14, pp 700–702
Gabriel Z, Bowling A (2004a) Quality of life in old age from the perspectives of older people. In: Walker A, Hagan Hennessy C (eds) Growing older: quality of life in old age. Open University Press, Maidenhead, pp 14–34
Gabriel Z, Bowling A (2004b) Quality of life from the perspectives of older people. Ageing Soc 24:675–692
Gerritsen D, Steverink N, Ooms M, Ribbe M (2004) Finding a useful conceptual basis for enhancing the quality of life of nursing home residents. Qual Life Res 13:611–624
Grundy E, Bowling A (1999) Enhancing the quality of extended life years. Ageing Mental Health 3:199–212
Gubrium J, Lynott R (1983) Rebuilding life satisfaction. Hum Organ 42(1):33–38
Havighurst RJ (1963) Successful aging. In: Williams RH, Tibbits C, Donahue W (eds) Processes of aging, vol 1. Atherton Press, New York, pp 299–320
Hornquist J (1982) The concept of quality of life. Scand J Soc Med 10:57–61
Hughes B (1990) Quality of life. In: Peace S (ed) Researching social gerontology. Sage, London, pp 46–58
Kellaher L, Peace SM, Holland C (2004) Environment, identity and old age: quality of life or a life of quality? In: Walker A, Hagan Hennessy C (eds) Growing older: quality of life in old age. Open University Press, Maidenhead, pp 60–80
Knipscheer CPM, Jong Gierveld J de, Tilburg TG van, Dykstra PA (eds) (1995) Living arrangements and social networks of older adults. VU University Press, Amsterdam
Larson R (1978) Thirty years of research on the subjective well-being of older Americans. J Gerontol 33:109–125
Lawton MP (1983) Environment and other determinants of well-being in older people. Gerontologist 23:349–357
Lawton MP (1991) Background. A multidimensional view of quality of life in frail elders. In: Birren JE, Lubben J, Rowe J, Deutchman D (eds) The concept and measurement of quality of life in the frail elderly. Academic Press, San Diego
Lehr U, Thomae H (eds) (1987) Formen seelischen Alterns. Enke, Stuttgart
Lowenstein A, Ogg J (eds) (2003) Oasis: old age and autonomy. The role of service systems and intergenerational family solidarity. OASIS, Haifa
Maddox G (1992) Long-term care policies in comparative perspective. Ageing Soc 12:355–368
Maslow A (1954) Motivation and personality. Harper, New York
Mayer K, Baltes P (eds) (1996) Die Berliner Altersstudie. Akademie, Berlin
Mayring P (1987) Subjektives Wohlbefinden im Alter. Zeitschr Gerontol 20:367–376
Nazroo J, Bajekal M, Blane D, Grewal I (2004) Ethnic inequalities. In: Walker A, Hagan Hennessy C (eds) Growing older: quality of life in old age. Open University Press, Maidenhead, pp 35–59
Neugarten BL, Havighurst RJ, Tobin SS (1961) The measurement of life satisfaction. J Gerontol 16:134–143
Noll HH (2002) Towards a European system of social indicators: theoretical framework and system architecture. Soc Indic Res 58:47–87
O’Boyle CA (1997) Measuring the quality of later life. Philos Trans R Soc Lond 352:1871–1879
Peeters A, Bouwman B, Knipscheer K (2005) The Netherlands: quality of life in old age I. In: Walker A (ed) Growing older in Europe. Open University Press, Maidenhead, pp 83–104
Perrig-Chiello P (1999) Resources of well-being in elderly: differences between young and old and old old. In: Hummel C (ed) Les sciences sociales face au défi de la grande vieillesse. Questions d’Age, Geneva, pp 45–47
Polverini F, Lamura G (2005) Italy: quality of life in old age I. In: Walker A (ed) Growing older in Europe. Open University Press, Maidenhead, pp 55–82
Roos NP, Havens B (1991) Predictors of successful aging: a twelve year study of Manitoba elderly. Am J Publ Health 81:63–68
Scharf T, Phillipson C, Smith AE (2004) Poverty and social exclusion: growing older in deprived urban neighbourhoods. In: Walker A, Hagan Hennessy C (eds) Growing older: quality of life in old age. Open University Press, Maidenhead, pp 81–106
Singer B, Ryff C (2001) Person-centred methods for understanding aging: the integration of numbers and narratives. In: Binstock R, George L (eds) Handbook of aging and the social sciences. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 44–65
Staudinger UM, Freund A (1998) Krank und “arm” im hohen Alter und trotzdem guten Mutes? Zeitschr Klin Psychol 27:78–85
Suzman RH, Willis DP, Manton KG (eds) (1992) The oldest old. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Tesch-Römer C, von Kondratowitz HJ, Motel-Klingebiel A (2001) Quality of life in the context of intergenerational solidarity. In: Daatland SO, Herlofson K (eds) Ageing, intergenerational relations, care systems and quality of life. Nova, Oslo, pp 63–73
Tester S, Hubbard G, Downs M, MacDonald C, Murphy J (2004) Frailty and institutional life. In: Walker A, Hagan Hennessy C (eds) Growing older: quality of life in old age. Open University Press, Maidenhead, pp 209–224
Torres S (1999) A culturally-relevant theoretical framework for the study of successful ageing. Ageing Soc 19:33–51
Veenhoven R (1999) Quality-of-life in individualistic society. Soc Indic Res 48:157–186
Verbrugge LM (1995) New thinking and science on disability in mid- and late life. Eur J Publ Health 1:20–28
Von Faber M et al. (2001) Successful aging in the oldest old: who can be characterised as successfully aged? Arch Intern Med 161(22):2694–2700
Wahl HW, Mollenkopf H (2003) Impact of everyday technology in the home environment on older adults’ quality of life. In: Schaie KW, Charness N (eds) Impact of technology on successful aging. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Wahl H-W, Mollenkopf H, Oswald F (1999) Alte Menschen in ihrer Umwelt. Westdeutscher Verlag, Wiesbaden
Wahl H-W, Scheidt R, Windley P (eds) (2004) Aging in context: socio-physical environments. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics 23
Walker A (1980) The social creation of poverty and dependency in old age. J Soc Policy 9:75–91
Walker A (1993) Age and attitudes. European Commission, Brussels
Walker A (2002) A strategy for active ageing. Int J Soc Security 55(1):121–139
Walker A (2005) Growing older in Europe. Open University Press, Maidenhead
Walker A, van der Maesen L (2004) Social quality and quality of life. In: Glatzer W, von Below S, Stoffregen M (eds) Challenges for quality of life in the contemporary world. Kluwer, The Hague, pp 13–32
Walker A, Guillemard A-M, Alber J (1991) Social and economic policies and older people. European Commission, Brussels
Walker A, Guilllemard A-M, Alber J (1993) Older people in Europe—social and economic policies. European Commission, Brussels
Weidekamp-Maicher M, Reichert M (2005) Germany: quality of life in old age I. In: Walker A (ed) Growing older in Europe. Open University Press, Maidenhead, pp 33–54
Wenger GC (1989) Support networks in old age: constructing a typology. In: Jeffreys M (ed) Growing old in the twentieth century. Routledge, London, pp 166–185
Wenger GC (1996) Social networks and gerontology. Rev Clin Gerontol 6:285–293
Westerhoff G et al. (2003) The personal experience of aging. Multidimensionality and multidirectionality in relation to successful ageing and well-being (English abstract in PubMed). Tijdschr Gerontol Geriatr 34(3):96–103
WHOQOL Group (1993) Measuring quality of life. World Health Organisation, Geneva
Wiggins RD, Higgs P, Hyge M, Blane DB (2004) Quality of life in the third age: key predictors of the CASP-19 measure. Ageing Soc 24:693–708
World Bank (1994) Averting the old age crisis. World Bank, Washington, DC
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
This article was previously published with DOI s10433-005-0015-8, which was mistakenly created twice and has therefore been replaced by the current DOI.
I would like to thank very warmly the following for their help with this paper: Ann Bowling, Joe Cook, Rocio Fernández-Ballesteros, the EJA’s anonymous referees, and all of the participants in the FORUM project quality of life workshops.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Walker, A. A European perspective on quality of life in old age. Eur J Ageing 2, 2–12 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-005-0500-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-005-0500-0