Transcript Slide 1

Successful Aging
© Paul T. P. Wong
Introduction
Different dimensions of aging:
Chronological, biological, cultural,
experiential, psychological, and spiritual
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Successful aging means different things
to different people
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Too much emphasis on the medical model
and physical components
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Introduction (cont’d)
Increasing recognition of the
importance of meaning and spirituality
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Most of the findings support the
importance of controllable and internal
factors
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Successful aging is 80% attitude and
20% everything else
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Rowe and Kahn in
“Successful Aging”:
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Low risk of disease and disability
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High mental and physical function
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Active engagement with life
George Vailliant in
"Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the
Landmark Harvard Study of Adult Development"
“Successful aging means giving to others
joyously whenever one is able, receiving
from others gratefully whenever one needs
it, and being greedy enough to develop
one's own self in between."
Mark Novak in “Successful
Aging”
"There is no secret, no magic formula. A
good old age doesn’t come about from
some special talent or as a secret gift. It
comes about when, given a basic income,
reasonable health, good self-esteem and a
little energy, a person sets out to discover
a meaningful life for him- or herself." (p.
273)
Timothy Moody
(http://dallaslibrary.org/ss/03-01.htm)
Successful aging involves the ability to complete our
lifetime with a balance of inner resources as well as
material ones. This would include:
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Recognizing and enjoying the contributions we
have made
Continuing intellectual and spiritual growth
Maintaining good health and increased physical
vigor
Passing on a legacy of love, courage, and
compassion
Paul T. P. Wong
We have aged successfully, if we feel
satisfied that we have become what
we were meant to be, accomplished
most of our life tasks, contributed to
society and future generations, and
kept our faith in spite of difficulties
and disappointments. Therefore,
successful aging is attainable by
anyone, regardless of their physical
conditions.
Becca Levy on the importance
of positive attitudes
Ageism or negative stereotype has negative
effects
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Positive attitudes towards aging have positive
effects
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Self-descriptions of life as hopeful and worthy
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Don’t dwell on negative changes
Becca Levy on the importance of positive attitudes (cont’d)
Overall physical health and
longevity
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Better memory and sharper
hearing
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Better mental health
Contributions from John Rowe
and Robert Kahn
Debunk the myth that aging has to be
accompanied by illness and loss of
cognitive functions
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The influence of genetics shrinks, while
social and your lifestyle and attitude
become more important
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Contributions from John Rowe and Robert Kahn (cont’d)
An inactive non-smoker has worse
health than a smoker who exercises
regularly Strong social ties are even
more important in preventing illness
than genetic background
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The elderly are one of the country's
great underutilized productive resources
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Contributions from George
Vaillant
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The world’s longest continuous study of aging and health
College education is a better predictor of health and
happiness than money, social prestige, etc.
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Uncontrollable factors, such as genetics, parents social
class, family cohesion, are not longer important by age 70
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Controllable factors become more important. These
include engage in altruistic behavior, stay physically
healthy, pursue education, stay creative and playful, and
use mature or adaptive coping
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Paul T. P. Wong’s
existential/spiritual model of aging
The imperative of meeting the existential and
spiritual needs of seniors when people live longer
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People begin to turn inward as they grow older
Personal meaning is the hidden dimension of
successful aging
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Positive meaning and purpose not only add
years to one’s life, but also add life to one’s years
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Paul T. P. Wong’s existential/spiritual model of aging (cont’d)
Without a clear sense of meaning and
purpose in the face of physical decline,
longevity may be an unbearable burden
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Need to maintain a positive attitude in
the face of loss, illness and death
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Death acceptance is related to physical
and mental health
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Paul T. P. Wong on coping and
successful aging
The imperative of building up inner
resources in order to cope with multiple losses
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Problem-focused coping becomes less
relevant because most difficulties confronting
the old-old are beyond their control
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Existential and transformative coping
become increasingly important for the elderly
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Wong and Reker’s Ontario
Successful Aging Project
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200 were from Community and 200 from Institutions
Participants were classified as either Successful or
Unsuccessful based on ratings on mental, physical health
and adjustment
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Successful and Unsuccessful did not differ in terms of
sex or income
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Successful agers had more resources than Unsuccessful
agers
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Successful agers score higher in
the following outcome measures:
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Health outcomes as measured by a nurse
Physical symptoms as reported by
participants
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Psychopathology
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Depression
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Perceived well-being
Successful agers scored higher in
the following resources:
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Social resources (social contacts and martial status)
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Cognitive resources (college education and intelligence)
Spiritual resources (religious activity and personal
meaning)
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Psychological resources (optimism, commitment, selfreliance)
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Healthy lifestyle (no smoking, no drinking, more
exercises, etc.)
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Significant predictors of physical
health outcomes
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Perceived control
Perceived income
Commitment to personal projects
Social contacts
Intelligence
Significant predictors of mental
health outcomes
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Personal meaning
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Social contacts
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Religious activity
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Marital status
Successful agers employed the
following types of coping more
often:
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Situational coping (Problem-focused)
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Existential coping (Meaning and Acceptance)
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Religious coping (Beliefs and Activities)
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Self-Restructuring (Cognitive and Behavioral)
Social support (Instrumental and Emotional
support)
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The ten commandments
for successful aging:
1. Cultivate adequate resources (both internal
and external)
2. Embrace religion or spirituality
3. Commit to personal projects
4. Pursue college education
5. Develop your cognitive capacities
The ten commandments for successful aging: (cont’d)
6. Get married & stay connected
7. Maintain optimism and zeal for living
8. Pursue a healthy lifestyle
9. Be reflective and flexible in coping
10. Expand yourself in every way (Turn
inward, upward, forward and
outward)