Quality of Life, Death Acceptance, and Associated Sociodemographic and Illness-Related Factors among Elderly Patients with Chronic Illnesses: A Descriptive-Correlational Study

This descriptive-correlational study examined quality of life, death acceptance, and associated sociodemographic and illness-related factors among elderly patients with chronic illnesses in Pangasinan, Philippines. Thirty-eight older adults aged 60 years and above from Orchid Carehome, Inc., and the Dagupan City Office of Senior Citizens Affairs participated through purposive sampling. Data were collected using structured and validated questionnaires that covered demographic characteristics, chronic illness profile, quality-of-life domains, death acceptance, social support, spirituality, and communication experiences. Weighted mean, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression were used for analysis. Results showed that respondents had moderate overall quality of life (M = 3.34), with higher ratings in social relationships and environment than in physical and psychological domains. Death acceptance was generally favorable (M = 3.69). Quality of life was positively and significantly associated with death acceptance (r = 0.46, p = 0.004), indicating that better perceived well-being corresponded with greater readiness to acknowledge mortality. Regression analysis showed that duration of illness (β = 0.30, p = .038) and religious/spiritual involvement (β = 0.48, p = .002) significantly predicted death acceptance, explaining 39% of the variance. Findings underscore the importance of integrated geriatric, spiritual, psychosocial, and palliative care interventions for chronically ill elderly patients within local community settings.