What it is: Quality of Life (QoL) is how a person feels about their life in relation to their goals, hopes, fears, values, and beliefs. So, QoL will mean different things to different people. It often includes:
Why it matters: QoL is part of palliative care. As a person’s illness deteriorates their QoL can worsen. Their ability to do what is important to them can change.
What I need to know: QoL is personal. What the older person values as part of QoL may not be the same as other people.
As their disease progresses, their QoL can change. The disease might stop them from doing their usual activities. It might mean they cannot socialise in the same way or form relationships with others. Changes in QoL may be slow with diseases like dementia that progress slowly (over a longer period).
Other people might not register a change in QoL. They may adapt to what is currently possible and not compare it to what they could do before.
Talk with the person and family
Support the older person to maintain their spiritual perspectives and spiritual connections.
Encourage them to remain active with tasks that they can manage.
What tools are used in my organisation to measure QoL?
How often do I re-assess what is important to the people I care for?
See related palliAGED Practice Tip Sheets:
People with Specific Needs
Person-Centred Care
Recognising Deterioration
CareSearch is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Updated February 2024
