SDCA Journal of Physical Therapy

Abstract

Introduction: Good quality of life is something that everyone strives for, and with age taking its toll on people’s bodies as they grow older, this may become more difficult to achieve or maintain along with their current functional status. In this literature review, the researchers aim to determine and define the factors predicting the level of quality of life (QoL) and functional status of Southeast Asian elder people and to study the QoL and functional status patterns of elderly people in the Southeast Asian context. Methodology: The researchers conducted a thorough literature search. After searching for eligible articles that conformed to the study’s inclusion and exclusion criterion, a total of 17 studies were found relevant to be included in this review. Results: It was found that the overall level of QOL of Southeast Asian elderly people ranges from low to high, with most results being at the moderate level. As for the WHOQOL-OLD questionnaire and its domains, it was found that sensory abilities garnered the lowest scores in most studies while death, intimacy, and social participation have the highest scores among the six domains. Regarding functional status, it was determined that community-dwelling elderly people are independent in performing activities of daily living (ADLs) while institutionalized ones needed assistance in performing basic ADLs. Factors such as age, gender, educational attainment, chronic illness, and cognitive function were also found to be associated with functional status. Conclusion: From the existing literature, it may be concluded that Southeast Asian elderly people have average QoL and function status scores. Death and dying, intimacy, social participation and feeding had the highest scores among the individual domains while sensory abilities, transferring, and bathing had the lowest. It was also found that these concepts could be influenced by factors such as age, gender, income, health status, educational attainment, and family relationships and beliefs.

Keywords: Quality of life, functional status, WHOQOL-OLD, Katz Index, elderly citizens, older adults, Southeast Asia.