Discuss about the Successful Aging for Growth.
Some of the most fundamental feature of a living creature is growth, development and death. In a human life cycle, individuals, in their growth process, undergo through many stages. In his theory of the psychosocial stages of human development, Erik Erikson established that the growth and development of human beings occur in eight main stages: infancy, early childhood, pre-school age, school age, adolescence, early childhood, adulthood and late adulthood chronologically (Moore, Eyler, Mausbach, Zlatar, Thompson, Peavy & Jeste, 2015). Naturally, because of the uniqueness of these stages, each of them poses challenges to the individuals. For instance, late adulthood which starts at the age of 65years, brings a lot of challenges to the aging persons (Calasanti, 2015). As a result of their complexities, the aging become more vulnerable to psychological, mental, and social challenges that makes it quite difficult for them to experience a successful aging process. This paper uses the activity theory to examine what kind of lifestyle contributes to a successful aging.
Successful aging simply refers to an ability of an aging person to lead a life characterized by social, mental and physical well-being. Although old age is a natural process in the stages of human development (for those enjoying longevity), the younger populations always tend to forget that should they be lucky to enjoy a longer life, they would definitely pass through it. Instead of embracing, appreciating and supporting the aging, the younger individuals tend to discriminate and isolate them because they are perceived as bothersome, uncooperative individuals who are a burden to them (Cromley, 2016). This kind of stereotype has been making it difficult for the aging to enjoy their old age. Instead of being proud of their long life, the situation makes them unhappy, withdrawn and less important as compared to the rest of the population.
Nonetheless, for one to enjoy a successful aging, one has to adopt a lifestyle that can help to make them satisfied and happier in life. As part of this research, it was necessary for me to engage in a field study to find out exactly what constitutes a successful aging (Rowe & Kahn, 2015). Therefore, I had to book an appointment with Joseph, a 71-year old retired civil servant who now lives what, in his opinion, is a successful aging life in his rural home. According to Joseph, he has managed to lead a happier life because of the following reasons:
Engagement in Physical Activities: From his responses, Joseph pointed that out one of the secrets behind his successful aging is the active involvement in physical activities. Despite his old age, Joseph has been spending at least 15 minutes each day to enjoy a walk. At times, he can go to the gym to perform light physical exercises. This is something that he cannot fail to do because of its significance to him. He pointed that through such activities, he manages to release stress and shed calories (Nosraty, Jylhä, Raittila & Lumme-Sandt, 2015). This is good for his health because it enables him to regulate his body weight and put his blood pressure under control (Stowe & Cooney, 2015).
Adopt a Social Lifestyle: To lead a successful aging life, one should be a social person who is always ready to establish a cordial relationship with other people. It can be much fulfilling if an elderly person lives in the midst of other people and accept to relate well with them (Stowe & Cooney, 2015). It is necessary to do so because being lonely can cause depression that might be dangerous to the health of the elderly. In our encounters, Joseph revealed to me that he has been having a positive interaction with his 2 daughters, son, grandchildren and childhood friends. His constant interactions with these people have made him to be a happier elderly in their midst.
Acquisition of Healthcare Services: Another key component of a successful aging is access to and a proper use of healthcare services. One of the reasons why the elderly persons lack happiness and lose hope in life is ailments (Resnick, Klinedinst, Yerges-Armstrong, Choi & Dorsey, 2015). Unlike the younger persons, the elderly are very much susceptible to chronic illnesses that unfortunately come in multiples. It is because of his constant pursuit for healthcare services that Joseph has managed to enjoy a successful aging (Cho, Martin, Poon & Georgia Centenarian Study, 2015). He asserted that he always seek for medical intervention in case of any need. Thus, he gets the required diagnoses, treatments, interventions and medication.
Eating a Healthy Diet: For a very long time, food has become a major issue of health concern not only for the younger populations, but to the elderly as well. Several researches have revealed that poor diet has caused lots of medical challenges to the people. The elderly persons who do not use a proper diet are prone to illnesses like diabetes and cancer. Therefore, to help the elderly to enjoy a successful life, they should use a proper diet that can help them in leading a healthy life by eliminating any threats (Chan & Matchar, 2015). This strategy has been helping Joseph to enjoy a successful aging life. He pointed out that he usually consumes a balanced diet that contains all the necessary food components to protect his body and give him the required energy.
One of the theories that should be applied to the care of the elderly persons is the activity theory of successful aging. It was propounded by Robert Havinghurst in 1961 as a response to the disengagement theory of aging that had the elderly should be disengaged from the rest of the society because they are nearing death. According to the activity theory, an elderly person can manage to lead a successful aging life if they remain active in life (Kelly & Lazarus, 2015). By being active in life, the elderly can take time to participate in a series of activities that mean a lot to them. Remaining idle can be disastrous because it can negatively impact on their psychological and mental health. At the same time, it can expose them to complex chronic diseases to which the elderly are highly susceptible.
Physical activities should be encouraged because they can bring happiness to the elderly in many ways. First, the activities performed can remind the elderly of the enjoyable life they were leading in the past. Through such associations, the elderly can become content and happier because they get to reconnect with their glorious past (Martin, Kelly, Kahana, Kahana, Willcox, Willcox & Poon, 2015). It can give the elderly an opportunity to get to associate with the accomplishments made during active life (Nosraty, Jylhä, Raittila, & Lumme-Sandt, 2015). The other reason why the aging should engage in physical activity is because it can bring them to the right path of attaining a healthy life.
Positive social interactions play a significant role in making the elderly persons happier in life because it provides them with the needed company. Just like the rest of the people, the elderly do not like to be neglected and left to live in isolation (Lee & Payne, 2015). Instead, they should always enjoy the company of their close relatives because it can make them feel accommodated, respected and honored as an integral part of the larger society. And it is such happiness that defines a successful aging process (Zacher, 2015). The strategy of establishing a cordial relationship with his family members has been enabling Joseph to enjoy a successful aging (Anton, Woods, Ashizawa, Barb, Buford, Carter, & Dotson, 2015).
So, in all his efforts, Joseph was acting under the guidance of the activity theory of successful aging. It has been the secret behind his active involvement in physical activities. Despite his advanced age, Joseph has not been idling around. Instead, he uses his time to perform light activities that, in his opinion, are aimed at improving his lifestyle (Martinson & Berridge, 2015). Through such efforts, he has managed to reconnect with his admirable past to lead a more meaningful and successful aging life. If it were not for this theory, Joseph would not have made an effort to establish a good rapport with his children, grandchildren, health care providers and neighbors.
Conclusion
Successful aging has remained a challenge in the society. The sensitive and complex nature of the elderly has made them prone to several challenges that many younger people find hard to deal with. At the same time, many elderly persons do adopt a kind of lifestyle that jeopardize their health and prevent them from leading a enjoying their old age. However, as demonstrated by Joseph, a successful aging life if feasible if measures are taken to adopt a healthy lifestyle characterized by a healthy diet, cordial social relationships, engagement in physical activities and accessibility to health care services. All these can be enhanced by the application of activity theory of successful aging which emphasizes the need for physical fitness as well as healthy social interactions by the aging.
References
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(2015). Successful aging: Advancing the science of physical independence in older adults. Ageing research reviews, 24, 304-327.
Calasanti, T. (2015). Combating Ageism: How Successful Is Successful Aging?. The Gerontologist, gnv076.
Chan, A., & Matchar, D. B. (2015). Demographic and structural determinants of successful aging in Singapore. In Successful aging (pp. 65-79). Springer Netherlands.
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Nosraty, L., Jylhä, M., Raittila, T., & Lumme-Sandt, K. (2015). Perceptions by the oldest old of successful aging, Vitality 90+ Study. Journal of aging studies, 32, 50-58.
Nosraty, L., Jylhä, M., Raittila, T., & Lumme-Sandt, K. (2015). Perceptions by the oldest old of successful aging, Vitality 90+ Study. Journal of aging studies, 32, 50-58.
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