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Successful Aging

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Mental Health and Illness of the Elderly

Part of the book series: Mental Health and Illness Worldwide ((MHIW))

Abstract

Over the course of history, aging has been considered a period of progressive physical, cognitive, and psychosocial declines, yet more recently there is growing evidence that challenges this purely deficit-driven view of aging. In fact, numerous studies have documented improvements in psychological well-being across the life-span, despite age-related declines in physical and cognitive functioning. This subjective well-being in the face of physical limitations is thought to reflect successful aging. Here, we review the definitions, predictors, and biobehavioral mechanisms of successful aging. There are numerous perspectives on what constitutes successful aging and as such a consensus regarding its definition is lacking. Nonetheless, a number of studies have characterized the biologic, environmental, and social determinants of successful aging using often overlapping operational definitions. Of particular interest are positive traits such as resilience and wisdom, which appear to have particular relevance in understanding the counterintuitive relationship between successful aging, even in the presence of poor health status. In addition to characterizing various facets of successful aging, there has been a growing interest in investigating strategies to promote well-being, many of which are discussed here. The ongoing technological revolution has great promise for enabling older adults to age successfully and safely in their own homes and communities despite declines in physical ability.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive #0664, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA

    Rujvi Kamat, Averria Sirkin Martin & Dilip V. Jeste

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive #0603, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, USA

    Rujvi Kamat

Authors
  1. Rujvi Kamat
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  2. Averria Sirkin Martin
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  3. Dilip V. Jeste
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rujvi Kamat .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong

    Helen Chiu

  2. Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Kenneth Shulman

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Kamat, R., Martin, A.S., Jeste, D.V. (2017). Successful Aging. In: Chiu, H., Shulman, K. (eds) Mental Health and Illness of the Elderly. Mental Health and Illness Worldwide. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2414-6_3

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