[Evaluation of quality of life in elders undergoing hemodialysis].

Hemodialysis affects not only physical but psychological and social aspects, with repercussions on personal and family life. Considering the increase in the elderly population in Brazil, this study aims to evaluate the quality of life of elderly patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis. This is a quantitative, descriptive exploratory study with elderly patients held in a facility specializing in hemodialysis in Guarapuava, Paraná, Brazil. The data were collected between May and June 2010, through a structured instrument and were submitted to the statistical software Statistica 7.1. Analyzing the domains of the questionnaire the highest score refers to the social domain (70.42) and the lowest, to the physical domain (49.37). Thus, the quality of life of these elderly had to be low, with variations according to the analyzed field. Researches aimed at assessing quality of life are relevant and instrumentalize the daily practice of care.