The Association between Frailty, Quality of Life and Resilience in Community-dwelling Retirement Village Residents

Housing quality has significant impact on the wider determinants of health and quality of life (QoL). Retirement villages are considered age-friendly accommodation for community-dwelling older people, offering a variable range of services and supports. We wished to explore the relationship among frailty, QoL, and resilience in older people residing in retirement villages.

Cross-sectional analysis within a longitudinal study.

Residents from 33 retirement villages in Auckland, Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Frailty [using an interRAI-Community Health Assessment-based frailty index FI)], QoL [World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) and WHOQOL-Older Adults Module (WHOQOL-OLD)], and resilience [Brief Resilience Scale (BRS)]. Associations among frailty, QoL, and resilience were examined using regression analysis adjusting for confounders.

Mean (SD): FI 0.2 (0.1) in 479 residents, BRS 3.7 (0.8) in 395 residents, WHOQOL-OLD total score 69.9 (12.2). FI was inversely related to BRS [adjusted mean difference (MD) -0.35; 95% CI -0.43 to -0.26; P < .001] and WHOQOL-OLD (MD, -5.45; 95% CI -6.89 to 4.01; P < .001). FI inverse relationship was seen across all facets of WHOQOL-OLD and all WHOQOL-BREF facets except psychological.

Frailty was inversely related to resilience and multiple domains of QoL in those living in presumed age-friendly and relatively resource-rich environments. Studies exploring causal relationships between these facets could inform interventions necessary to improve QoL and resilience in those living with frailty. Specific multidimensional needs, wishes, and concerns of older people living with frailty needs to be explored in order to potentially intervene on frailty, QoL, and resilience.