Social inclusion, social circumstances and the quality of life of visually impaired people

This study set out to understand the drivers of well-being for older people with visual impairment. Specifically, this study uses data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) relating to the experiences of those aged 50 and older living in private households.

Areas investigated included health, economic position, social networks and more formal elements of social participation, and both the housing and neighbourhood circumstances of older people with visual impairment.

The study found that older people with a visual impairment:

• are more likely to have a range of other, additional, physical health problems than sighted people
• are more likely to be in poor socio-economic circumstances
• participate less in social, civic and cultural activities than sighted people
• have similar levels of contact with members of their social network as sighted people, but the quality of their relationships tends to be poorer
• are more likely to score negatively on measures of well-being than sighted people, but this is entirely explained by their greater likelihood of being in poor circumstances.

Full findings from this study were published in two Pocklington publications:

and

If you require a copy of these publications in an alternative format, please use our publications order form.