Interacting perspectives on ‘quality of life’ in decision-making about ‘ageing in place’

Abstract

This research investigated how perspectives on quality of life interacted in the decision-making process about ageing in place. Using the Quality of Life Profile of Raphael, Waalen and Karabanow (2001) the differences between the perspectives of elderly, their family members and professionals were investigated. The decision-making process was studied in three family cases using semi-structured with a total of 3 elderly women, 14 children and in-laws and 5 professionals. The results showed that there are differences in which domains of quality of life played an important role in the process according to the groups, and there were differences in how the groups valued the aspects within a certain domain. The different perspectives interacted in an ongoing decision-making process of initiating events, struggling with the decision and small decisions, eventually leading to the decision to move. Although, this study was only based on three families and the retrospective design may have caused some bias, this study shed light on a pressing issue in elderly care nowadays. The findings from this investigation can be used to identify potential interventions that can facilitate the decision-making process, by helping families to focus on discussing their preferences about care and ageing in an early stage in the process.