What Does Successful Aging Mean?
Successful aging is something we all want, but often individuals don't understand what that really means. The truth is, its confusing because it contains a lot of components. These components are included because they have been shown (by science) to result in longer lifespans. However, it doesn't end there! Not only do individuals live much longer, but their quality of life was higher during those years and the number of debilitating medical conditions was lower as they aged. MEANING: they were healthier, happier, more active and engaged for much longer than the average person.
According to an article published by BMJ in December of 2005, (331(7531): 1548–1551, doi: 10.1136/bmj.331.7531.1548), the main components of Successful Aging include:
Life expectancy
Life satisfaction and wellbeing (includes happiness and contentment)
Mental and psychological health, cognitive function
Personal growth, learning new things
Physical health and functioning, independent functioning
Psychological characteristics and resources, including perceived autonomy, control, independence, adaptability, coping, self esteem, positive outlook, goals, sense of self
Social, community, leisure activities, integration and participation
Social networks, support, participation, activity
But after the researchers looked further, they also found that these factors are important as well:
Accomplishments
Enjoyment of diet
Financial security
Neighbourhood
Physical appearance
Productivity and contribution to life
Sense of humour
Sense of purpose
Spirituality
Since that time, a lot more research has been done on this subject and there are a myriad of approaches to improving the likelihood for Successful Aging out there in the world. This concept has been around for the last 70yrs, or so, but was popularized in the 1980s. Nowadays, clinical science has focused on defining the components of Successful Aging as being relatively free of disability or disease, being cognitively/emotionally/physically high functioning, being socially engaged/interacting in meaningful ways, having your desired Quality of Life and being able to adequately perform Activities of Daily Living. All of this seems pretty intuitive but as you break this down, do you really know what "Activities of Daily Living" are or what "Quality of Life" means? And if you do know what these mean, how do you go about accomplishing this lofty goal?
Basic Activities of Daily Living including things like bathing, grooming, dressing, hygiene and mobility. There is another term out there called "Instrumental Activities of Daily Living" which refer to activities instrumental to the maintenance of one's life and these include:
Cleaning and maintaining the house
Managing money
Moving within the community
Preparing meals
Shopping for groceries and necessities
Taking prescribed medications
Using the telephone or other form of communication
Successful Aging means that these basic and instrumental activities continue to be performed, successfully, and result in the individual remaining as independent as possible for as long as possible.
Quality of Life, however, is much much harder to define. It is harder to define because it is entirely individualistic. Quality of Life for your life is defined only by you and can change at any given moment depending on what you define as "quality." In the most general of terms, Quality of Life often includes physical health, family, education, employment, wealth, religious beliefs, finance and the environment; but, it all depends on the person. Quality of Life in Successful Aging, then, is defined by whatever you deem to be the life you would like to have as you age. How healthy do you want to be? How important is activity or social engagement or emotional stability to you? How would you define "quality" and what everyday activities would be involved in a life filled with "quality" moments?
In many sites across the country, Successful Aging is being investigated. In California, a landmark study was performed called, "The 90+ Study." Here, researchers looked at what factors were associated with longevity to determine what helps people live to the age of 90 and beyond. They looked at food, activities and lifestyles associated with living longer and more healthily.
They also focused on neurocognitive aging, because dementia and cognitive decline can be so debilitating to the aging population. They found:
•People who drank moderate amounts of alcohol or coffee lived longer than those who abstained
•People who were overweight in their 70s lived longer than normal or underweight people
•Over 40% of people aged 90 and older suffer from dementia while almost 80% are disabled à both are more common in women than men
•About half of people with dementia over age 90 do not have sufficient neuropathology in their brain to explain their cognitive loss
•People aged 90 and older with an APOE2 gene are less likely to have clinical Alzheimer’s dementia, but are much more likely to have Alzheimer’s pathology in their brains
To learn more about this research, check out these scientific articles!
At the end of the day, the take home message is that certain types of diets, lifestyles and factors can increase the likelihood for Successful Aging. We will continue to be publishing more conversations on these topics to help you understand more and maybe, use a few of those tips in your everyday life!
