Backgound and purpose: Recent rise in elderly population points to the need for social support, and focusing on these people’s relationships and quality of life. Social support acts as a mechanism to tackle isolation and loneliness, and high level of quality of life results in more joy, satisfaction, healthy life, economic prosperity, educational opportunities and creativity. This study aimed at assessing the quality of life of the elderly attending rehabilitation centers considering demographic variables such as the elderly’s marital status, sex, educational background and the type of rehabilitation center being admitted to. Material & methods: This descriptive study was performed in 281 individuals referring to rehabilitation centers in Mazandaran province. A researcher made questionnaire was used to assess the status of social support and to investigate the elderly’s quality of life the standardized questionnaire (36-SF) was used. Results: The results indicate a significant difference between the mean scores of social support and its components and the mean score of the test. The overall qualities of life for elderly were higher than average. We also observed a significant correlation between social support and the elderly’s marital status, educational background, and the type of rehabilitation center. Conclusion: According to the services offered by studied rehabilitation centers the quality of life of elderly was in satisfactory condition. There was no significant difference between quality of life, marital status, and educational background. However, we found a significant relationship between the type of rehabilitation center and quality of life of elderly.

Keywords: Social support, quality of life, elderly, rehabilitation centers

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