Care-Related Quality of Life in Old Age

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiv

   PDF

2. Research Framework

   1. The General Framework and Methods of the Care Keys Research

      • Marja Vaarama, Richard Pieper, Andrew Sixsmith

      Pages 3-18

   2. Instrumentation of the Care Keys Research

      • Marja Vaarama, Richard Pieper, Andrew Sixsmith, Ene-Margit Tiit, Seija Muurinen, Kai Saks et al.

      Pages 19-44

   3. Care Keys Data and Statistical Methods

      • Ene-Margit Tiit, Kai Saks, Marja Vaarama

      Pages 45-61

3. Theoretical Results

   1. The Concept of Care-Related Quality of Life

      • Marja Vaarama, Richard Pieper

      Pages 65-101

   2. The Concept of Quality of Long-Term Care

      • Marja Vaarama, Richard Pieper, Mona Frommelt, Seija Muurinen, Andrew Sixsmith, Margaret Hammond et al.

      Pages 102-124

   3. Quality Management in Long-Term Care

      • Richard Pieper, Mona Frommelt, Claus Heislbetz, Marja Vaarama

      Pages 125-150

4. Empirical Results

   1. Subjective Quality of Life of Care-Dependent Older People in Five European Union Countries

      • Ene-Margit Tiit, Kai Saks

      Pages 153-167

   2. Quality of Life of Older Homecare Clients

      • Marja Vaarama, Ene-Margit Tiit

      Pages 168-195

   3. Quality of Life in Institutional Care

      • Kai Saks, Ene-Margit Tiit, Seija Muurinen, Susanna Mukkila, Mona Frommelt, Margaret Hammond

      Pages 196-216

   4. Quality of Life and Dementia

      • Andrew Sixsmith, Margaret Hammond, Grant Gibson

      Pages 217-233

   5. The Target Efficiency of Care—Models and Analyses

      • Claus Heislbetz, Petteri Hertto, Marja Vaarama

      Pages 234-254

   6. Quality Management and the Care Keys Quality Matrix

      • Richard Pieper, Claus Heislbetz, Gunnar Ljunggren

      Pages 255-280

   7. The Care Keys Toolkit

      • Marja Vaarama, Gunnar Ljunggren, Richard Pieper, Thomas Emilsson

      Pages 281-298

5. Summary

   1. Care-Related Quality of Life: An Overview

      • Marja Vaarama, Richard Pieper, Gunnar Ljunggren, Seija Muurinen, Kai Saks, Andrew Sixsmith

      Pages 301-326

6. Back Matter

   Pages 327-338

   PDF

The ageing of populations across the world poses a crucial challenge for the twenty-first century. Society faces three major changes: firstly, increasing numbers of active older people demanding new social structures and oppor- nities; secondly, increasing numbers of frail or disabled older people requiring new interventions and improved health and social care with resulting economic consequences; and finally complex economic, technological, organisational and social challenges involved in the ageing of society. If society wants to benefit from these changes, innovative social, organisational and technological responses are needed. This book presents the findings of the Care Keys project—“Keys for Quality Performance Management of the Care of Older Persons in Europe”—and is an example of how research can respond to the challenges outlined above. Care Keys was the fruit of European Union research funding, made possible under the Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources specific programme 1 (1998–2002) under the EC’s Fifth Framework Programme for Research, Te- nological Development and Demonstration. The activity promoting such research was Key Action 6 on the “Ageing Population and their Disabilities”.

• Elderly and health care
• Life models
• Old age
• age
• dementia
• efficiency
• geriatrics
• gerontology
• health care
• patients
• quality
• quality of life

From the reviews:

"This book presents the findings of the Care Keys project, research that focused on quality of life in old age, especially persons who are vulnerable, frail, or disabled, carried out in Finland, Estonia, Sweden, and the U.K. … Professionals specializing in geriatrics and having a background in research process and tools will be most interested in this book. … The extensive reference lists at the end of each section are a valuable part of the book." (Sharon G. Thomas, Doody’s Review Services, February 2008)

• Department of Social Work, University of Lapland, Finland

  Marja Vaarama

• University of Bamberg, Germany

  Richard Pieper

• Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University at Harbour Centre, Vancouver, Canada

  Andrew Sixsmith

Marja Vaarama is Professor of Social Work and Social Gerontology at the University of Lapland, Finland. Her areas of research include quality of life in old age, quality and performance of long-term care for older people, gerontological social work, information technology for planning, evaluation and management of long term care for older people. She is the co-ordinator of the EU-funded Care Keys research project.

Richard Pieper is Professor of Urban Studies and Social Planning at the University of Bamberg, Germany. His main fields of research are in theory of social and regional integration and collective identity, and aging and technology, elderly care planning, and social and health care systems.

Andrew Sixsmith is Lecturer in Social Gerontology in the Department of Primary Care at the University of Liverpool. His current research interests focus on new technologies to facilitate the delivery of community health and welfare services.

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