Relationship between successful aging and life satisfaction in elderly individuals applying to primary care

Introduction and Objective: Satisfaction with life is an important determinant of successful aging. This study was conducted to reveal the relationship between successful aging and life satisfaction in older individuals who presented to primary care. Material and Method: The population of this descriptive correlational research consisted of individuals aged 65 years and over who presented for any reason to three Family Health Centres in Erzincan Province Center between January 2019 and May 2019. No sampling was attempted; 379 older individuals who presented to the related family health centres between the said dates and who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study sample. The study data were collected using the face-to-face interview method with the help of a Descriptive Questionnaire, the Successful Aging Scale (SAS) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Results: The mean age of the individuals was 70.87±5.61. The elderly had a mean SAS total score average of 53.54±8.43, a mean SWLS score of 10.85±4.14 and 38% of them had a high level of satisfaction with life. The mean Healthy Lifestyle and Adaptive Coping subscale scores and the SAS total score were found to have a statistically significant weak positive correlation with the mean SWLS score (p<0.001). Conclusion: It was found that the perceptions of successful aging of the elderly were good level and their perception of life satisfaction was moderate, and as their perception of life satisfaction increased, their perception of successful aging increased significantly. For this reason, nurses working in family health centres are recommended to provide advisory services to promote successful aging among older individuals to improve their satisfaction with life and to give them their support to this end. Keywords: Older Individuals, Successful Aging, Satisfaction with Life, Nursing