Social activity and quality of life of older people living in north Dublin : the care worker's perspective

Authors

O'Malley, Conor

Issue Date

2011

Degree

BA (Hons) in Social Science

Publisher

Dublin Business School

Rights

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Abstract

The proportion of older people in Ireland is set to increase dramatically in the future. This study investigated the role that social activity plays in the quality of life of older people from the perspective of health and social care workers. A qualitative thematic analysis was carried on the data gathered from tape recorded semi structured interviews of 6 HSE care workers. Among the themes highlighted in the results were Social Interaction, Isolation, Health, Access, Family and Community and Individual Needs. The results showed that social activity is central for older people’s quality of life and that social isolation was damaging to it. Areas for improvement were discussed as well as limitations of the research. The research adds to the body of knowledge on older people’s quality of life. Author keywords: Older people, quality of life, social activity