Introduction:

Nowadays, population aging is one of the main problems worldwide, due to the increase in life expectancy. However, higher life expectancy does not mean better quality of life.

Objective:

To assess the role played by the family in the older adult’s self-perception of quality of life.

Methods:

A descriptive, observational and cross-sectional study was carried out with older adults of both sexes in the Ecuadorian province of El Oro, between January 2018 and November 2019. The sample consisted of 399 patients. The questionnaires used were the Biopsychosocial Assessment of the Older Adult from a Bioethical Approach and the WHOQoL-BREF Quality of Life Scale.

Results:

The average age was 73.66 years ± 7.38 years, with a range between 65 and 98 years. A poor quality of life was reported by 78.9 % of the mistreated older adults and 75.9 % of the older adults with regular family treatment. Only 18.3 % of the well-treated older adults reported a poor quality of life, which shows a statistically significant association between family treatment and perception of quality of life. Family mistreatment due to neglect was found in older adults who referred poor quality of life.

Conclusions:

The family has a preponderant role in the quality of life of the older adult.

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