Chapter 6
Successful aging and mental
health
Introduction
Older person act no 13 – put into place 2006:
Maintain and promote the status/ wellbeing, safety and security
Maintain and protect rights
Emphasise community-based care
Regulate registration, management and establishment of services
Combat abuse of older persons
Successful aging ROWE & KAHN MODEL (1997)
Refers to the fact that persons are ageing well on all levels of functioning (physically, cognitively,
emotionally, socially)
Successful ageing consists of 3 components:
» Freedom from disease and disease-related disability
» Maintaining high cognitive and physical functioning
» Active engagement in social and productive activities
Limitations
» Methodological issues
o Inconsistencies – conceptualisation of the term / measures used to study
aging
o 29 definitions
» Adaptions and extensions
o Adapted/extended criteria for successful aging
o 100 variations of original model
» Objective and subjective meaning
o Objective = neglects subjective experiences
o Combination should be used
o Subjective = NB role – how SA is experienced in diverse cultures/ value
systems
» Over emphasis on biomedical factors
o Usual aging
Usual decline in biological / physical / cognitive functioning
Heightened – extrinsic/ high-risk factors (smoking/ low activity
levels)
o Successful aging
Minimal functional loss
, Extrinsic factors = neutral / positive role
o Disease free older age = unrealistic for some
o Optimism/ effective coping skills/ life satisfaction / wellbeing/ community
involvement = more important
» Personal choice
o Overemphasises - personal choice/ agency/ lifestyle
o Assumes that aging= controlled by individual / depended on personal
choices & behaviour
o Neglects – social/environmental factors
Factors that may affect successful aging
Attitudes towards aging
Attitude towards ageing incorporates:
» Self-perceptions of ageing,
» Cultural and personal beliefs about ageing,
» Age identity
» Physical/ psychological factors
Ageism:
» Form of prejudice and refers to discrimination based on chronological age
» Middle/ late adulthood
» Major influence on adjustment/ wellbeing of older people
» Less researched
o Based on stereotypes and generalisations:
Older people are alike
Old people have little to offer society
Old people behave like children
Old people suffer from at least one serious illness
Old people feel alone and lonely, and are just waiting to die
Old people are senile
Old people live in the past
» Subtle/ implicit
o Not giving dates/ message – they will not remember anyway
o Referring to them in third person – while being present
o Making decisions without consulting them
o Patronising language
o Mandatory/ compulsory retirement
» Social stereotypes = self-stereotypes
o Influence people’s ideas about ageing
Fear getting old
Upset by natural changes
Cognitive/ mood disturbances
Poorer overall functioning
Higher morbidity rate
» Influence – illustrated by longitudinal study
o Older adults - positive experiences concerning stereotypes
show better memory functioning,
more positive and balances view of life and
Successful aging and mental
health
Introduction
Older person act no 13 – put into place 2006:
Maintain and promote the status/ wellbeing, safety and security
Maintain and protect rights
Emphasise community-based care
Regulate registration, management and establishment of services
Combat abuse of older persons
Successful aging ROWE & KAHN MODEL (1997)
Refers to the fact that persons are ageing well on all levels of functioning (physically, cognitively,
emotionally, socially)
Successful ageing consists of 3 components:
» Freedom from disease and disease-related disability
» Maintaining high cognitive and physical functioning
» Active engagement in social and productive activities
Limitations
» Methodological issues
o Inconsistencies – conceptualisation of the term / measures used to study
aging
o 29 definitions
» Adaptions and extensions
o Adapted/extended criteria for successful aging
o 100 variations of original model
» Objective and subjective meaning
o Objective = neglects subjective experiences
o Combination should be used
o Subjective = NB role – how SA is experienced in diverse cultures/ value
systems
» Over emphasis on biomedical factors
o Usual aging
Usual decline in biological / physical / cognitive functioning
Heightened – extrinsic/ high-risk factors (smoking/ low activity
levels)
o Successful aging
Minimal functional loss
, Extrinsic factors = neutral / positive role
o Disease free older age = unrealistic for some
o Optimism/ effective coping skills/ life satisfaction / wellbeing/ community
involvement = more important
» Personal choice
o Overemphasises - personal choice/ agency/ lifestyle
o Assumes that aging= controlled by individual / depended on personal
choices & behaviour
o Neglects – social/environmental factors
Factors that may affect successful aging
Attitudes towards aging
Attitude towards ageing incorporates:
» Self-perceptions of ageing,
» Cultural and personal beliefs about ageing,
» Age identity
» Physical/ psychological factors
Ageism:
» Form of prejudice and refers to discrimination based on chronological age
» Middle/ late adulthood
» Major influence on adjustment/ wellbeing of older people
» Less researched
o Based on stereotypes and generalisations:
Older people are alike
Old people have little to offer society
Old people behave like children
Old people suffer from at least one serious illness
Old people feel alone and lonely, and are just waiting to die
Old people are senile
Old people live in the past
» Subtle/ implicit
o Not giving dates/ message – they will not remember anyway
o Referring to them in third person – while being present
o Making decisions without consulting them
o Patronising language
o Mandatory/ compulsory retirement
» Social stereotypes = self-stereotypes
o Influence people’s ideas about ageing
Fear getting old
Upset by natural changes
Cognitive/ mood disturbances
Poorer overall functioning
Higher morbidity rate
» Influence – illustrated by longitudinal study
o Older adults - positive experiences concerning stereotypes
show better memory functioning,
more positive and balances view of life and
