Abstract

MARTINEZ, José William et al. Quality of Life in Institutionalized Elderly in Pereira. rev.colomb.psiquiatr. [online]. 2011, vol.40, n.4, pp.700-708. ISSN 0034-7450.

Introduction: Colombia is experiencing an aging of its population. In Risaralda the population over 65 years of age by the year 2005 was 63,668, according to projections by DANE for the year 2010 it was 73,510. Students and faculty from different programs of the Technological University of Pereira, have been engaged in a variety of actions in order to encourage the participation of the elderly in welfare centers in physical, artistic, cultural, and social activities to improve their quality of life. Methods: This quasi-experimental research evaluated the impact of these interventions on the quality of life of older adults in each of the protection centers by the application of the COOP/WONCA test. The exclusion criteria were: Having some kind of restriction that affected the quality of information provided or that completely prevented its communication (memory problems or dementia). Only six people were excluded. Results: We did a ranges test to assess quality of life before and after the interventions and obtained more negative ranges (47) than positive ones(26). Conclusions: According to these results there was an increase in the quality of life in the elderly which cannot be attributed to a particular intervention, but to the contact with other people.

Keywords : Quality of life; health of the elderly; demographic aging.

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