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Quality of Life

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging

  • 69 Accesses

Synonyms

Aging well; Happiness; Life satisfaction; Perceived quality of life; Well-being

Definition

Quality of life (often referred to as QoL) is an umbrella term used to encompass a variety of concepts or constructs about an older adult’s overall well-being. Quality-of-life definitions and applications differ by discipline or field of study, so creating a universal definition for an older adult’s quality of life is very complex. Traditional quality-of-life definitions include domains such as one’s physical health, psychological well-being, functional status, social support and engagement, spiritual components, and life course or environmental factors. Quality of life is generally self-rated by the older adult based on his or her perceptions of his or her life at that point in time, but may be rated by others or be based on sociodemographic characteristics. Quality of life can be assessed at many levels, from the intra-individual (e.g., psychological or emotional states) to the...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Natural and Health Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, USA

    Joyce Weil & Cheri Cabrera

Authors
  1. Joyce Weil
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  2. Cheri Cabrera
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joyce Weil .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Population Division, Department of Economics and Social Affairs, United Nations, New York, NY, USA

    Danan Gu

  2. Department of Population Health Sciences, Department of Sociology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Matthew E. Dupre

Section Editor information

  1. Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, New York, NY, USA

    Danan Gu Ph.D.

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Weil, J., Cabrera, C. (2021). Quality of Life. In: Gu, D., Dupre, M.E. (eds) Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22009-9_638

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