Health, social support, and life satisfaction of selected older persons in Asilo de Molo

Abstract

This study was undertaken in order to determine the current status of older persons in Asilo de Molo in terms of health, social support and life satisfaction. Eighteen (18) elders, four (4) males and fourteen (14) females were chosen through convenient sampling as respondents of this study. Katz'' Activities of Daily Living Scale, Lawton’s Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale and Dr. Andrew Goliszek’s Life Satisfaction Index were utilized to gather the necessary data. Using the mode, the frequencies and percentage distributions for each variable were tabulated and analyzed. Results showed that respondents are relatively in good health condition and that majority of the reported cases of disease and chronic conditions are linked to normal aging namely, poor vision, hypertension and arthritis. Moreover, a large percentage of the respondents can function fairly independently by themselves, which means they can perform at least 50% of the activities in the ADL and IADL scales with minor assistance from the social and health workers. In terms of social support, the findings are contradictory to previous researches that highlight the primary importance of family and relatives as sources of support, both in material and non-material aspects. Instead, the bottom-line lifelines identified are the social workers. Life satisfaction findings reveal that majority of the respondents are moderately satisfied with their life, contrary to negative stereotypes on older persons living in institutions.