Abstract
Aim: We aimed to explore factors related to improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among Japanese community-residing elderly individuals. Using a questionnaire, we investigated subjective satisfaction with verbal communication, dental status, and HRQOL in community-residing elderly people. Methods: Subjects were 454 independent elderly individuals, with a mean age of 76.1 ± 6.8 years, living in Japan. The Japanese version of the SF-8 Health Survey was used to evaluate HRQOL. Subjective satisfaction with verbal communication was investigated using a five-point scale. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify determinants affecting HRQOL. Covariance structure analysis was conducted to investigate any mutual association between age, presence of natural teeth, satisfaction with verbal communication, and HRQOL. Results: The HRQOL scores of subjects who answered that they were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with verbal communication were significantly higher than those of subjects in the groups of “neither satisfied nor unsatisfied”, the “unsatisfied”, and the “very unsatisfied” in physical component summary (PCS) scores or mental component summary (MCS) scores of SF-8 (P < 0.001). In multiple regression analysis, age, gender, and satisfaction with verbal communication were independent predictors of PCS scores. Furthermore, age and subjective satisfaction with verbal communication were also independent predictors of MCS scores. There was a significant positive correlation between subjective satisfaction with verbal communication and PCS (r = 0.307, P < 0.001) or MCS (r = 0.435, P < 0.001) in covariance structure analysis. Conclusions: Satisfaction with verbal communication is significantly related to HRQOL among Japanese community-dwelling elderly individuals.
Highlights
Communication is very important in conveying our desires, ideas and emotions, and allowing us to achieve a better understanding of each other (Borden, Harris, & Raphael, 1994)
Higashi et al (2007) investigated the association between verbal communication and subjective well-being among Japanese elderly residents of rural communities, and reported that the frequent satisfaction derived from verbal communication with families or other rural residents improved their subjective well-being
Our findings indicate that good subjective satisfaction with verbal communication is associated with an improved health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among community-dwelling elderly individuals
Summary
Communication is very important in conveying our desires, ideas and emotions, and allowing us to achieve a better understanding of each other (Borden, Harris, & Raphael, 1994). In the case of aphasia patients, who face difficulties with verbal communication, conversational support from volunteers or professional interpreters trained in communication skills improved the patient’s satisfaction with their communication, as well as providing them with more frequent opportunities for communication (Suzuki, 2012; Larsson & Thoren-Jonsson, 2007). These reports indicated that richness in communication opportunities or smooth communication exchanges improved individual’s satisfaction with communication, as well as their subjective wellbeing
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