Elderly abuse and quality of life: A study of community living older people of Nepal

Background: The abuse and neglect of older people in the family context are emerging as a significant social, as well as a public health concern that is affecting the overall quality of life (QOL) of the elderly. Aims: The main objective of this paper was to study the experience of abuse and its relation with QOL of older people in rural Nepal. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, community-based survey carried out in the Kailali district of Nepal. The total sample size for this study was 547 people aged 60 years and older selected randomly. QOL was measured using the World Health Organization QOL scale popularly known as WHOQOL-BREF. Elderly abuse was measured by asking questions related to elderly abuse in the last 1 month. The descriptive technique is used to analyse the data. Descriptive, chi-square tests and F-test was used to analyze the data. Results: The findings show that about one-sixth of males (15.6%) and one in every seven females (14.3%) have faced any type of abuse in the last 1 month. This study found that overall QOL score of the Nepalese elderly was moderate (12.92 ± 1.75). The mean scores of the overall QOL index of people experiencing abuse were observed significantly low (12.28 ± 1.74) compared to those who did not experience any abuse (13.04 ± 1.73). Conclusions: Elderly experiencing abuse have significantly low QOL compared to not abused elderly in Nepal. The experience of abuse was elicited in the last 1 month. This study was carried out in specific rural area and cannot be generalised to all Nepali older people. Local activities and awareness to discourage older person's abuse should be encouraged that may help to enhance the QOL of older people.