[Quality of life and well-being of elderly people: an exploratory study in the Portuguese population].

OBJECTIVES To characterize elderly people's perception of quality of life and well-being. METHODS A sample of 1,665 elderly aged 75 years or more living in 13 districts in Portugal were studied. Of them, 311 subjects were excluded because they were not able to convey their opinions. The EASYcare (Elderly Assessment System) was used to collect data from 1,354 (81.3%) of 1,665 subjects. Statistical analysis was based on principal components analysis and cluster analysis. RESULTS EASYcare's showed to have good psychometric proprieties (Cronbach a =0.92). The principal component analysis identified 4 factors: mobility, communication competencies, well-being and daily living activities. Cluster analysis showed 4 groups of elderly people: autonomous (62.8%), almost autonomous (8.5%), almost dependent (4.3%) and dependent (3.2%). CONCLUSIONS Quality of life for most of the elderly is quite positive, and only a small group presents problems related to severe cognitive impairment or some degree of dependence.