Quality of life among women partaking of supporting groups

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of life among elderly women partaking of supporting groups. The sample, selected by convenience, was composed of 266 women in the 60-96 years age range. An individually applied multidimensional interview was used for information collection. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation), one-way ANOVA followed by post-hoc, and the chi-squared test (with p<0.05). The results indicate that a more negative perception of quality of life is related to the environment domain, the older elderly having a more optimistic perception as compared with the younger elderly. Actions that include improvements in housing, health services and income conditions are necessary to better serve the elderly population of the municipality. Key wo Rds: Health of the elderly; Quality of life; Health Services for the Aged .