인지기능, 사회활동 참여, 사회적 지지가 지역사회 재가노인의 삶의 질에 미치는 영향

Effect of Cognitive Function, Social Activity Participation and Social Support on Quality of Life of Community-Dwelling Elderly

Objective：This study aimed to explore the effect of cognitive function, social activity participation and social support on quality of life (QoL) of community-dwelling elderly. Methods：The data on 194 elderly were selected from the nationwide community cohort named Korean Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging and Dementia. All subjects were assessed QoL-Alzheimer’s Disease (QoL-AD), Cumulative Illness Rating Scale, exercise habit, Mini-Mental State Examination, social activities, The Medical Outcomes Study-Social Support Survey. The data were analyzed with SPSS WIN V. 21.0 program. Results：The mean of QoL among community-dwelling elderly was 35.49 (24-46) for QoL measured by QoL-AD. The vari-ables of professional, residence status, physical health, exercise, cognitive function, social activity participation and social support explained 29.3% of variance in QoL of community-dwelling elderly. Among these factors, the significant predictors of QoL were social support (β=0.322, р<0.001), cognitive function (β=0.152, р=0.021), and religion activity (β=0.152, р=0.025). Conclusion：The study suggests that the focus of intervention program should be on cognitive function and social activity par-ticipation to improve QoL for elderly. Improving cognitive function and social activity will lead to the network of social support, consequently to increase QoL for elderly living in the community.