Perceived Empowerment, Social Support, and Quality of Life Among Chinese Older Residents in Long-Term Care Facilities

Jing Wang, Junqiao Wang, Yuling Cao, Shoumei Jia, Bei Wu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Objective: This study examines how older residents’ social support and perceived empowerment are associated with their quality of life (QOL) in long-term care (LTC) facilities in Shanghai, China, controlling for their health-related conditions, facility type, and other socio-demographic characteristics. Method: Using a convenient sampling approach, we selected nine LTC facilities in Shanghai, China. We surveyed 515 older residents from these facilities. Results: Older participants in this study rate their QOL, social support, and perceived empowerment as moderate, and these variables are positively associated with their QOL. Older residents who live in government-owned and private-run LTC facilities are more likely to have a higher level of perceived QOL compared with those living in government-run facilities. Discussion: There is an urgent need to increase staff awareness and capacity to empower older residents, and to engage them in their care plan and delivery. LTC facilities could provide more opportunities for older residents’ social networking within and outside LTC facilities. Improvement of older residents’ QOL is critical in the future development of resident-centered care models in LTC facilities.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1595-1619
Number of pages25
JournalJournal of Aging and Health
Volume30
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2018

Keywords

  • empowerment
  • long-term care facilities
  • quality of life
  • resident-centered care
  • social support

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Life-span and Life-course Studies

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Perceived Empowerment, Social Support, and Quality of Life Among Chinese Older Residents in Long-Term Care Facilities'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this