Aging in place means living in the home of your choice—safely and independently—as you get older. It’s about living out your golden years in comfort. But it requires planning for how you will deal with any challenges that may arise. In essence, healthy aging involves creating the right environment and putting supports in place that allow you to meet your ongoing physical and emotional needs.
Did you know that American seniors are healthier today than they have been in years past? One study found that older adults were 14 percent more likely to say they were in excellent or very good health in 2014 than in 2000.
Successful aging is influenced by a range of factors, including diet, lifestyle, and genetics. The reality is that you can be healthy at 50 or any other age by adopting a lifestyle that features regular exercise and a well-balanced diet. Of course, staying healthy and safe may require adapting your home to accommodate your changing needs, which you can read more about below.
This article outlines how the definition of successful aging has evolved over the past few decades. It also describes some common diseases that often come with age and explains what you can do to reduce your chances of being affected by them. And it provides practical tips on how to successfully age in place.
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What Is Successful Aging? Changing Definitions
How do you measure success when it comes to aging? There isn’t one simple answer to this question. Over the years, social scientists have proposed a myriad of models to explain how people age.
Psychosocial theories
There are three major psychosocial theories about the aging process: the disengagement, activity, and continuity theories.
Elaine Cumming and William E. Henry came up with the disengagement theory in 1961. The functionalist perspective on aging is expressed through this theory. It holds that older adults naturally and willingly withdraw from people and activities as they get older and begin to anticipate death. This withdrawal process is important, as it allows the social system to remain stable by providing for the orderly passing of productive social roles from elderly people to younger generations. Cumming and Henry suggested that aging successfully means accepting and going along with the natural process of disengagement. In more recent decades, the disengagement theory has been widely criticized for its negative view of aging and its assumption of universal decline. Gerontologists have largely dismissed it.
By contrast, the activity theory is based on the premise that older adults who remain active in retirement tend to be healthier and have higher life satisfaction levels. Developed by Robert J. Havighurst as a counter to the disengagement theory, the activity theory suggests that you age successfully by continuing to engage in meaningful activities that interest you. However, critics point out that this theory fails to account for economic or health factors that prevent individuals from participating in such activities.
Continuity theory is centered around the notion that as people age, they preserve the same beliefs, relationships, and behaviors from earlier in their lives. First proposed by Robert Atchley, the continuity theory posits that older adults are guided by internal frameworks that remain constant throughout their lifespans. Therefore, aging successfully involves drawing on past experiences to adapt to the changes that occur later in life. However, this theory does not account for the physical challenges that frequently develop with age.
The biomedical model
According to a widely accepted biomedical model developed by John Rowe and Robert Kahn, there is a difference between usual aging (which involves significant physical decline) and successful aging (which does not). Rowe and Kahn’s model suggests that the components of successful aging are:
- Being free of disability and disease.
- Maintaining good physical and mental functioning.
- Staying engaged in activities.
However, a high percentage of people will not meet all three of these conditions. After all, the process of aging is often characterized by at least some degree of physical deterioration. If an 80-year-old person’s activities are curtailed by disability, for example, does that mean he or she has failed to age successfully?
Not necessarily, according to many older adults. In fact, in one study, more than 30 percent of seniors over age 65 felt they had successfully aged even though they were dealing with functional difficulties and chronic conditions. In their eyes, success was not predicated on the absence of illness or disease.
Some people would like to replace the word “successful” with “optimal.” So, what is optimal aging? Simply put, it is being able to maximize your capabilities and life satisfaction regardless of your state of health. Optimal aging involves making the necessary lifestyle and activity adjustments so that you can enjoy your life to the fullest.
Common Diseases of Aging and How to Lower Your Odds of Getting Them
The normal aging process is comprised of a multitude of subtle physical changes. You may notice that your hair is turning grey, you don’t see as well as you used to, your skin is getting more wrinkled, and you often forget details like where you left your car keys. These types of changes are normal and are no cause for alarm.
However, getting older also makes people more susceptible to more serious medical issues. For example, common elderly health problems include hearing impairments and high blood pressure. But you don’t have to accept poor health as the inevitable result of aging. In many cases, age-related diseases can be prevented by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. You keep healthy when aging by exercising regularly, eating a well-balanced diet, managing stress, and avoiding cigarettes and alcohol.
