Quality of life and time since diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus among the elderly

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: To evaluate the quality of life of the elderly with Diabetes Mellitus and to relate the time since diagnosis of diabetes with the quality of life of elderly persons receiving care at a basic health unit. Method: A cross-sectional quantitative study carried out in a Basic Health Unit with 196 elderly persons. For data collection, three instruments were used: one structured (sociodemographic and clinical variables) and the Whoqol-bref and Whoqol-old, with scores ranging from 0 to 100. Descriptive statistical analysis, Student’s T-test and Pearson’s correlation were performed. Results: Of the 196 diabetic patients, the majority were male (54.6%) with a mean age of 67.5 (±6.5) years. The mean time since diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus was 9.1 years. The domains of the Whoqol-bref with the highest scores, indicating better quality of life, were Social Relations and Psychological, while a worse quality of life was observed in Environment. The facets of the Whoqol-old with the best scores were: Intimacy and Past, Present and Future Activities, and the worst was Death and Dying. The domains associated with one another were Physical and Psychological, Physical and Social Relations, and Psychological and Environmental. The associated aspects were Past, Present and Future Activities and Social Participation. Elderly persons with more than ten years of Diabetes Mellitus had worse quality of life scores in Physical (p=0.001), Social relations (p=0.002), and in the Autonomy (p=0.0012), Social Participation (p=0.041) and Death and Dying (p=0.001) facets. Conclusion: The time of diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus was negatively associated with the quality of life of the elderly, with worse scores in most domains and facets of the Whoqol.

Keywords

• Quality of Life
• Elderly
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Primary Health Care
• Geriatric Nursing.