The aim of this study was to understand the degree of life satisfaction and its associated factors in elderly people. Its objectives were to access how demographic characters and health conditions affect the degree of life satisfaction in older people, and to determine whether medicine and health food improve their life satisfaction.
This study used the original data collected between September 2003 and February 2004 by the
Department of Health, Executive Yuan, Taiwan for the fifth survey of its ‘Panel study of the physical health, mental health and social activities of elderly people in Taiwan’. . Data of those people aged 65 years and older was selected and analyzed using SPSS 12.0 software to produce the results with frequency
distribution, Student’s t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multivariable regression models.
These results showed that the majority of elderly people were satisfied with their lives. 53.87% of respondents reported a high degree of satisfaction. Only 16.75% said that they were not satisfied.
Demographically, those who were male, had at least a primary school education, were living with a spouse and felt healthy reported a higher degree of life satisfaction. Those who took painkillers expressed less satisfaction with life than those who did not. Maybe the pain and dysfunction in their bodies were affecting their self-perceived health status and caused them to feel less satisfied. Respondents who had been taking multivitamins and mineral supplements had a higher degree of life satisfaction. Health supplements could improve general health of elderly people, enhance their immune system and reduce the risk of becoming infected with other diseases. Those who had been taking these supplements might have perceived themselves as healthier and became more satisfied with life.
The results of multiple regression analyses showed that education backgrounds, marriage status, self- perceived health status, use of painkillers, consumption of multivitamins or mineral supplements all have significant effects on the overall life satisfaction of elderly people.
Life satisfaction is an important issue in aging research, and an important indicator of successful aging.
Older people tend to use a variety of medicines and health foods to seek improvement in their health. The results of this study show that the use of painkillers and dietary supplements significantly affects older people’s life satisfaction. Based on these results, relevant organizations can offer elderly people more accurate information and resources regarding painkiller and supplement use. Knowledge of correct use of medicines, especially painkillers, will help elderly people to use medicines safely, reduce the risk of medicine misuse and adverse effects.
