What is the Definition of Successful Aging?

by admin | May 17, 2016 | News, Senior Health | 0 comments

Staying Healthy As You Age

While there is no consensus as to the definition of successful aging, the World Health
Organization defines it as “the process of developing and maintaining the functional
ability that enables well-being in older age.” One of the best ways to achieve this
functionality is by staying physically and mentally active; at-home exercises for
seniors and exercises for the brain are a great way to combat physical and cognitive
decline. It is also important to be aware of common health factors affecting seniors,
such as arthritis, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s disease, the effects of smoking,
and heart disease and stroke, so that proper care can be taken to prevent or manage
these conditions. By investing time in their health, and receiving the necessary care or
assistance, seniors can help maintain the functional ability that leads to well-being in
older age.
The Importance of Social Connection and Emotional Health for Seniors
Recent research into successful aging has focused on a broader definition than the one
proposed by the World Health Organization. Dr. John Rowe and Dr. Robert Kahn write
that, “successful aging is multidimensional, encompassing the avoidance of disease and
disability, the maintenance of high physical and cognitive function, and sustained
engagement in social and productive activities.” This definition reaches beyond the
absence of disease to include many additional factors affecting the well-being of
seniors, including social and emotional health. It is just as important for seniors and their
caregivers to make time for social activities, understand how to manage stress, and
monitor their emotional health for signs of depression or anxiety. Paying equal attention
to all aspects of a person’s well-being, not just their physical functionality, allows seniors
to achieve a happier, healthier retirement.
A Personal Definition of Successful Aging
It is important to note that definitions of successful aging vary between individuals. In
one study, researchers asked seniors living in a community to rate how successfully
they were aging, and allowed them to use their own criteria to define successful aging.
The vast majority of seniors reported that they were aging well, and many of them
based their ratings on social and emotional aspects of their lives. Since everyone has
an individual definition of successful aging, it is important for a senior’s care to be
tailored to their specific needs. A personalized care plan can help address the factors
that are most necessary for seniors to embrace and enjoy their older years.
Ultimately, the definition of successful aging is a work in progress that will continue to
evolve as more information comes to light. Certain researchers have even critiqued the
term “successful aging” for the implication that those who do not meet certain criteria
have somehow failed; as a result, recent studies in gerontology have wondered if there
are more inclusive ways to discuss healthy aging.
In their research on successful aging, Vaillant and Mukamal (2001) believe that we can identify the
predictors of longer and healthier lives before the age of 50 by using the following indicators: parental
social class, family cohesion, major depression, ancestral longevity, childhood temperament, and
physical health at age 50. Seven variables indicating personal control over physical and emotional health
that are also related to longer and healthier lives include the absence of alcohol abuse and smoking, and
the presence of marital/relationship stability, exercise, a normal body mass index, positive coping
mechanisms, and involvement in continuing education. The authors conclude that we have much
greater control over our post-retirement health than had been previously recognized in the literature.

For the purposes of understanding what is meant behaviorally by successful aging, the authors identify
the following indicators:

1. Although elderly people taking 3–8 medications a day were seen as chronically ill by their physicians,
the cohort deemed to be aging successfully saw themselves as healthier than their peers.

2. Elderly adults who age successfully have the ability to plan ahead and are still intellectually curious
and in touch with their creative abilities.

3. Successfully aging adults, even those over 95, see life as being meaningful and are able to use humor
in their daily lives.

4. Aging successfully includes remaining physically active and continuing activities (walking, for example)
that were used at an earlier age to remain healthy.

5. Older adults who age successfully are more serene and spiritual in their outlook on life than those
who age less well.

6.Successful aging includes concern for continued friendships, positive interpersonal relationships,
satisfaction with spouses, children and family life, and social responsibility in the form of volunteer work
and civic involvement.

In a study of the relationship between the ability to cope with stress and physical and emotional well-
being in women ages 65–87 years of age, Barnas and Valaik (1991) found that women with insecure
attachments to their adult children had poorer coping skills and lower levels of psychological well-being
than women with positive attachments. Women with a mean age of 20 and a sample of women with a
mean age of 38 with attachment problems with their mothers, suffered more anxiety and depression
and were seen by friends as being more anxious than women in both groups with positive attachments.
These findings led the authors to conclude that insecure attachments produce poorer coping skills,
which lead to more vulnerability to stress across the life cycle. The authors define attachment as
relationships of affection that are formed throughout the years and are not necessarily limited to a
child’s bond with his or her parents.
Vaillant and Mukamal (2001) report that the two most important “psychosocial predictors of successful
aging were high level of education (which probably reflects traits of self-care and planfulness as much as
social class) and having an extended family network” (p. 243). In his research on aging, Valliant (2002)
found the following variables contributed to successful aging:

1. seeking and maintaining relationships and understanding that relationships that help us to heal and
grow require gratitude, forgiveness, and intimacy;

2. having interest and concern about others and being able to give of oneself;

3. a sense of humor and the ability to laugh and play well into later life;

4. making new friends as we lose older ones, which has a more positive impact on aging well than
retirement income;

5. the desire to learn and to be open to new ideas and points of view;

6. understanding and accepting limitations and accepting the help of others;

7. understanding the past and its effect on our lives while living in the present;

8. focusing on the positives and the good people in our lives rather than on the negative things that may
happen to us.