Analyzing Quality of Life Factors for Older Adults in New Zealand

This essay examines the factors influencing the quality of life of older adults in New Zealand, focusing on aspects such as transportation, nutrition, housing, and physical and mental health. It highlights how these factors impact the daily lives and overall well-being of the elderly population. Furthermore, the essay explores positive life experiences like social interaction, pet ownership, and volunteering, which contribute to a sense of purpose and improve mental and physical health. The analysis emphasizes the importance of addressing these factors to enhance the quality of life and promote positive aging experiences for older adults in New Zealand.

Running Head: OLDER ADULTS
Older Adults

OLDER ADULTS 1
The older adults can be defined as the adults whose age is more than 65 years. Life satisfaction,
activity and interdependence are the factors which are considered to be of prime importance as it
allows the older adults to perform their day to day activities in an efficient manner. All aspects of
life such as social, mental, physical and spiritual are included in it. The quality of life of the older
adults focuses on both positive and negative parts of life. Furthermore, housing, family support
and care, nutrition, transport and cultural connections are the factors due to which the quality of
life of the older adults are impacted. This essay is focuses on the factors affecting the quality of
life and positive life experience of the older adults in New Zealand.
Among the number of factors that affect the quality of life of the older adults such as transport,
nutrition, housing, physical and mental health. Transportation is an important factor because it is
needed by the older adults for the purpose of visiting a doctor, shopping, travelling to new places
and maintaining social interaction. Transportation facilities should be good because it is
impossible for the elderly people to drive a car due to a number of issues which, in turn, may
have a negative influence on their lives. This is due to the fact that driving cessation makes them
dependent on others for the fulfillment of their needs. Also, in some rural areas, there is lack of
availability of the transport services which makes it difficult for the people living in such areas to
easily access health and other services along with maintaining connectivity with the friends and
family. In order to deal with this problem, mobility services such as specialized disability
services and mobility scooters can assist in improving the quality of life of the older adults.
The second factor affecting the quality of life is nutrition. The nutrition requirements of the older
adults are different and therefore special attention is required to be paid to them. At the old age,
an imperative role is played by nutrition for the maintenance of good health. Furthermore, the
nutritional patterns are influenced by a number of components such as social, physiological,
cognitive and lifestyle changes. Health issues are suffered by the older adults in cases when they
do not take proper diet. This may further lead them towards a number of health disorders such as
bone loss and arthritis. The intake of a balanced diet becomes difficult for the elderly people as
they are unable to focus on individual lifestyle and cooking patterns. Dementia and depression
are some of the mental disorders which sometimes make the elderly people prepare food which
is not fully cooked. The poor health outcomes are the ultimate consequence of their poor eating
habits which, in turn, impact their quality of life.

OLDER ADULTS 2
Another factor influencing quality of life is housing. When the housing conditions are good, it
generates confidence among the older adults along with the ability to live independently. In New
Zealand, the house ownership by the older adults is severely impacted by the education levels
and the socio- economic conditions. For instance, the people who are highly educated are able to
earn good salary along with the respectable position in the organization. In other words, they
earn higher income which makes them capable of having their own house in a good locality. On
the other hand, the older adults who are not highly educated or are uneducated are unable to save
the money required for owning a house. This, in turn, forces them to live in a rental property
through their life. This has a major impact on the health and life span of such older adults as they
suffer from money related pressures throughout their life time. The death rates of the older adults
surviving in the public- rental properties are higher as compared to that of the older adults living
in owner- occupied houses. Furthermore, the condition of the house also sometimes becomes an
obstruction for the elderly people of New Zealand. For example, lack of proper ventilation and
damp dwellings in the house results in a number of health issues for the older adults such as
respiratory disorders. Also, with the passage of time, the houses demands repairing and
maintenance to be done which is a costly process. This, in turn, becomes a big concern for the
elderly people of New Zealand as they cannot afford to make changes in the house due to the
greater amount of money involved. These days, rest homes are available for the older adults in
New Zealand which offers diverse accommodation facilities to them. This also plays an
important role in improving the quality of life as well maintained houses contribute towards
improved health outcomes in the elderly.
The last factor influencing the quality of life is physical and mental health. There is an
interconnection between the physical and mental domains of health. For instance, Maori people
who are suffering from mental illness face respiratory conditions, chronic pains and higher body
mass index as compared to Asiana and European people. Also, such health is related with
standard of living of the people. For example, low living standards results in poor health
outcomes among the elderly people thereby impacting the quality of life.
Furthermore, positive life can be defined as the maintenance of positive attitude along with
staying fit and healthy. Considering the holistic viewpoint, the older people have three positive
life experiences such as social interactions, owning a pet and volunteering. Social interaction

OLDER ADULTS 3
allows the order adults to spend time with people thereby reducing their loneliness and social
isolation. For example, the interaction with the friends and family makes the elderly people busy
along with making them happy. This reduces the possibility of various health issues such as
dementia, cardiovascular diseases and depression among them. It further enhances their
immunity system that assists them in fighting with the diseases. Social interaction improves the
activity of the brain as it provides emotional support to the individuals. When they get involved
in the social activities, they are easily capable of keeping the negative thoughts away which, in
turn, play a great role in improving their health.
Owning a pet also creates a positive life experience for the elderly people as it provides them
companionship. In New Zealand, mostly cats and dogs are owned by the older adults. Affection
is provided to the elderly people by the pets along with a sense of protection. Pets further provide
a number of health benefits such as reduced anxiety levels, blood pressure and stress. Their
health also improves through playing and walking with the pets thereby providing them the
benefits of exercise. Furthermore, their responsibility towards the pet also reduces their social
isolation as they have limited connections only with friends and family. By providing social
support, pets fill the empty space in the lives of elderly people.
There are a number of ways with the help of which older adults can contribute towards the
community, friends and their families. Formal and informal volunteering comprises the two
types of volunteering. Formal volunteering demands the volunteer to work within the
organization and is therefore structured. On the other hand, the informal volunteering is
unstructured. Older people become volunteers for the purpose of supporting their community. It
also impacts them in a positive manner by providing them confidence, improving health
outcomes and lowering depression rates. Moreover, the helpful and positive attitude among them
is enhanced with the help of volunteering as it makes them feel energetic, happy and motivated.
Sometimes, that role is provided to the older adults in volunteering which can be enjoyed by
them in their leisure time such as performing art, singing and theatre. Also, it improves their
social and physical participation in the community along with the enhancement of skills such as
leadership and empathy.
Therefore, it can be concluded that social, social, spiritual and mental are the different
dimensions covered under the quality of life of an individual. Furthermore, transportation,

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housing, nutrition and physical and mental health are some of the factors that have a great impact
on the quality of life of the order adults. Health outcomes of the elderly people improve with the
improvement in the quality of life. Moreover, the positive behavior is generated among the older
adults when they come across positive life experiences thereby providing a meaning to their life.
Social interaction, owning a pet and volunteering are the factors which provides enjoyment to the
older adults and provide a positive life experience.