Gerontology & Geriatric Research

Abstract

Quality of Life: An Important Issue in Geriatric Research

Rakesh Kumar Tripathi

Quality of life (QOL) is a popular term that conveys an overall sense of well-being, including aspects of happiness and satisfaction with life as a whole. It is broad and subjective rather than specific and objective. What makes it so challenging to measure is that, although the term “quality of life” has meaning for nearly everyone and every academic discipline, what it actually means is somewhat different for each individual and group. How do you reach accord about a measure for quality of life? Perhaps the strongest area of a consensus is that quality of life is extraordinarily broad and conceptually complex, yet measures are most meaningful when they measure key concepts in a logical way and are as precise as possible.