Factors affecting quality of life

Factors that affect a person’s quality of life may be physical or emotional. While these factors are important for everyone, it is especially important that care workers ensure that certain factors are present for individuals in their care. These include:

• Physical factors: exercise, diet, physical comfort, safety, hygiene, pain relief

• Intellectual factors: stimulation, engaging in activities

• Emotional factors: privacy, dignity, approval, psychological security, autonomy

• Social factors: social contact, social support.

Physical life quality factors

These include: • Exercise

• Diet

• Physical comfort

• Safety

• Hygiene

• Pain relief

Physical comfort

By physical comfort we mean the provision of a suitable environment which meets an individual’s needs, i.e not too hot, not too cold, comfortable beds/chairs, the right amount of stimulation, not too noisy.

Ensuring physical comfort may also mean:

• providing the care required to maintain comfort, such as allowing peace to sleep • having the correct height furniture • changing a baby’s nappy regularly to prevent nappy rash and so the baby is not uncomfortable • moving a bedridden individual regularly to prevent soreness.

Diet

All people need food to survive. The amount and types of food they eat can affect their quality of life, particularly if they have a condition such as diabetes or high cholesterol. A balanced diet consisting of varied and appetizing food can contribute to a good quality of life by improving health and well-being in addition to forming a major part of a person’s social and cultural well-being.

Exercise

Regular exercise has important long-term benefits and most people feel better after taking exercise. Different age