Ageing - Successful Ageing

The concept of successful ageing can be traced back to the 1950s, and was popularised in the 1980s. Previous research into ageing exaggerated the extent to which health disabilities, such as diabetes or osteoporosis, could be attributed exclusively to age, and research in gerontology exaggerated the homogeneity of samples of elderly people.

Successful ageing consists of three components:

1. Low probability of disease or disability;
2. High cognitive and physical function capacity;
3. Active engagement with life.

A greater number of people self-report successful ageing than those that strictly meet these criteria.

Successful ageing may be viewed an interdisciplinary concept, spanning both psychology and sociology, where it is seen as the transaction between society and individuals across the life span with specific focus on the later years of life. The terms "healthy ageing" and "optimal ageing" have been proposed as alternatives to successful ageing, partly because the term "successful ageing" has been criticised for making healthy ageing sound too competitive.

Six suggested dimensions of successful ageing include:

1. No physical disability over the age of 75 as rated by a physician;
2. Good subjective health assessment (i.e. good self-ratings of one's health);
3. Length of undisabled life;
4. Good mental health;
5. Objective social support;
6. Self-rated life satisfaction in eight domains, namely marriage, income-related work, children, friendship and social contacts, hobbies, community service activities, religion and recreation/sports.