At last night’s event, research findings which show that even the ‘older old’ (those 75 years and older) can age successful were presented. But what was meant by successful aging? Those indivdiuals who were found to be aging successfully had high mental quality of life but low physical quality of life. That is, the ‘older old’ were able to have a positive outlook on life despite poor physical health. This was particularly true in individuals who had increased social interactions. Other research supports these findings. Older people who consider themselves to be aging successfully have a sense of ‘self-efficacy’ and feel they have control over their lives while they may be physically frail.
Monthly Archives: November 2007
Successful Aging: Is Social Interaction the Key?
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Towards Lifetime Neighbourhoods: Designing Sustainable Communities for All
Last night’s launch of a new ILC-UK/CLG discussion paper saw a debate on how the built environment should be planned to better anticipate the demands of population ageing. The launch was very much intended to start a discussion; the issue is still surprisingly absent in many policy discussions, and the concept of ‘lifetime neighbourhoods’ itself is still emerging.