The Perceived Needs of Gujarati Older Adults in Improving Overall Quality of Life

<p>     Quality of life (QOL) is multidimensional, encompassing various components of daily living, such as physical health, psychological health, autonomy, social participation, environmental quality, socioeconomic status, and spirituality or religiousness, which may be viewed objectively or subjectively (Rice, 1984). Understanding QOL is important for health care providers to prepare to best meet the needs of the growing older adult population within the United States, especially from a cultural standpoint since diversity exists in the aging process. Hence, the purpose of this study was to better understand and improve the overall QOL of an ethnolinguistic subgroup of the Asian Indian population, Gujarati older adults. This study explored the perceived future needs of 25 Gujarati older adults based on how they currently perceive their overall QOL, the current challenges and/or barriers they face, and the current support available to them on both individual and community levels. Overall QOL and domains of QOL were assessed using a needs assessment questionnaire and the WHOQOL-BREF. The needs assessment questionnaire was developed to include quantitative and qualitative items and assessed seven domains of QOL, including physical health, mental health, independence, social participation, living arrangements, socioeconomic status, and spirituality/religiousness. The WHOQOL-BREF is a quantitative standardized QOL measure which assessed four domains of QOL, including physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and the environment. Based on results, Gujarati older adults viewed their overall QOL and domains of QOL as quite positive. The majority of the sample endorsed a positive ix QOL based on subjective and objective indicators of QOL. Spirituality/religiousness and the environment were the highest rated QOL domains relative to others on the needs assessment questionnaire and WHOQOL-BREF, respectively. Mental/psychological health was rated the lowest on both measures. Moreover, Gujarati older adults demonstrated interest in further improving their QOL on both individual and community levels, despite viewing their QOL as quite positive. Given that QOL was found to be multidimensional, individual- and community-level recommendations targeted multiple domains of QOL. In sum, these results have positive implications for enhancing the overall health and well-being of Gujarati older adults and informing culturally-sensitive treatment within health care settings and the community.</p>