GERO 320 Week 7 Discussion RESPONS 2

– Olaide Tomiye

Olaide Tomiye posted Dec 2, 2023 20:15

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Rowe and Kahn (1987) defined “successful aging” as 1) being free from disability or disease, 2) having high cognitive and physical functioning, and 3) having meaningful relationships. What is wrong with this definition of successful aging? Can a person with a disability age successfully? How about a person with dementia? 

 Because aging “successfully” requires education, leisure, passports, and access to good healthcare and nutrition and exercise—all of which are expensive—it overlooks social inequalities. Successful agers are assertive patient-consumers, upholding their civic duty by taking good care of themselves. Majority of robust older adults engage in daily physical activities such as walking, crouching, and stooping without help, and 55 percent maintain their baseline performance after three years. Those who declined or died in the interim had greater weekly variability in their physical performance, blood pressure, balance, and gait, and had entered the study with some chronic diseases (Nesselroade et al., 1996). Those with a strong support system showed less deterioration in their functional health than elders without strong networks. Such social support was particularly valuable for men and women and those who had poorer physical health at baseline. Normal aging does not result in significant declines in intelligence, memory, and learning ability. Mild impairment does not necessarily signal a major loss, but often represents a mild form of memory dysfunction known as
 benign senescent forgetfulness. Dementia is not part of normal aging, the likelihood of experiencing dementia does increase with advanced age. 

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Based on your review of the learning resources, how would you define successful aging? Be sure to cite the evidence that supports your definition. 

 Rowe and Kahn acknowledged that successful aging involved both intrinsic genetic factors and extrinsic lifestyle factors (Castel, 2018). Successful aging means that the successful older person has low risk of disease and disability, is actively using problem solving, conceptualization, and language skills to ensure mental stimulation, is maintaining social contacts, exhibits emotional optimism, and is participating in productive activities. One problem with Rowe and Kahn’s model, however, is its sole focus on late adulthood as a point to make an unchanged judgment of an individual’s “successful aging.” Thereby, fails to capture developmental processes and paths of continuity and change in function over time.

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Toomey links successful aging with the Japanese word ”
ikigai,” which means “having a purpose in life.” Do you agree that purpose is essential to successful aging, or do you think that one can age successfully without it? Do you have an ”
ikigai?” 

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The Japanese word ikigai, is gaining attention worldwide and enjoys worldwide use, refers to a passion that gives value and joy to life. The author who prompted its craze speaks about the word’s appeal and the effects it has on mental and physical health. Yes, for a person to age successfully, there must be a purpose. According to the MacArthur studies of successful Aging which was conducted in 1988 and 1991, a selective group of robust older persons were selected to test their cognitive and physical abilities, as well as their physiological parameters. It was discovered that educational level was the best predictor of continued high levels of cognitive ability. Having a higher level of education will give a person the purpose of life, and educational achievement in those who aged successfully was most likely due to lifelong interest in intellectual activities as well as a beneficial effect of education on the development of complex networks in the brain. Furthermore, having self-efficacy is also a predictor of high physical and cognitive function at follow up (Seeman, et al., 1999).

References:

Castel, A. D. (2018). 
Better with age: The psychology of successful aging. Oxford University Press.

Nesselroade, J.R., Featherman, D.L., Agen, S.H., and Rowe, J.W. Short-term variability in physical performance and physiological attributes in older adults: MacArthur successful aging studies. Unpublished manuscript, University of Virginia, 1996.

(n.d.). Forbes. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2018/09/10/what-is-successful-aging/?sh=7d1ea87b1dd7

Seeman, T.E., Unger, J.B., McAvay, g., and Mendes de-Leon, D. Self -efficacy beliefs and perceived declines in functional ability. Journal of Gerontology, 1999, 54B, 214-222.

Vern L. Bengtson, P., & Richard Settersten, J., PhD. (2016). 
Handbook of Theories of Aging: Vol. Third edition. Springer Publishing Company.