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This thesis entitled 鈥淓lders With and Without Partners: An Evaluation of their Quality of Life鈥� was made to secure information regarding the present living condition of single elders not only physically and financially, but also psychologically, spiritually and emotionally that contribute to their being a whole person.

Life is often about being taken care of in childhood, or being a caretaker of others. At a certain point of life, one might ask, 鈥淲ho is going to take care of me when I get old?" Sad to say, there are some who don鈥檛 want to live with and take care of an old person, who is ill and generally difficult to deal with, due to physical and emotional problems that often require more care than they can provide. Lack of a caretaker is a serious problem for older people who have chronic conditions and limitations on their ability to care for themselves and their homes. Unfortunately, those who are most vulnerable are also most likely to live alone and to have limited incomes.

Fifty (50) respondents, upon their approval, was given questionnaires to evaluate their quality of life. The instrument used was the Quality of Life Index (QLI) (Appendix A) developed by Ferrans and Powers (1984) to measure quality of life in terms of satisfaction with life. The QLI measures both satisfaction and importance regarding various aspects of life. Important ratings were used to weigh satisfaction responses, so that scores reflected satisfaction with the aspects of life that are valued by the individual. The QLI produced five scores: quality of life overall and in four domains (health and functioning, psychological/spiritual domain, social and economic domain, and family). Most of the elders concern is on their strength or fatigue that they feel because of aging. They are also concerned and not satisfied with their ability to take care of self without help and chances for living as long as they would like. Some are also concerned with their ability to take care of family responsibilities.

The single elders are provided with the quality care that they need. Much consideration must be given to elders in the home for the aged. Most of them are not satisfied emotionally, especially on the family aspect.

To further evaluate the needed care of the elders, the researcher would recommend further study with a higher quantity of respondents. Furthermore, we would recommend a much detailed and gender specific study wherein a comparison may be done between the needs of the female and the male elders.