Successful Aging: Defining a Person's Role & Feeling Satisfied - Essay Sample

Introduction

Successful aging means different things to different people. To some, it could be as simple as the absence of disease; to others, it may involve physical health, financial security, productivity, employment, and independence. How an individual defines their role and views himself or herself may affect their personal feeling of being satisfied. The definition of successful aging according to Rowe and Khan is based upon a few concepts; the absence of diseases and disabilities, and high cognitive and physical functions. On the other hand, Strawbridge and his fellow researchers opposed the definition since it only meant that while some successfully aged, others did not. In their opinion, they thought that as a gerontologist, it would be right to use such terms as productive aging, healthy aging, effective aging or aging well instead. This article is an analysis of whether the case study of 80-year-old Ms. Salazar befits both descriptions and with reasons why.

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I think the case study of the elderly woman does fit the Rowe and Khan's (1997) definition to be considered to be successfully aging. For starters, with her, she is dealing with high blood pressure to the extent that the doctor warned her against her large bodyweight and her salt intake before putting her on anti-hypertensive medication. It is not a serious condition as she does not have to interrupt her coffee sessions with her neighbors with an insulin needle. She was successful in losing her weight but she eventually gained some of it back. Apart from her high blood pressure of 135 over 85, she has a tooth that needs extraction as the throbbing pain coming from the bad molar bothers her. The reason she claims for not visiting the dentist despite the excruciating pain is that she does not enjoy the drilling and the poking. Also because the pain from the bad tooth comes and goes. Although her high blood pressure can be corrected by a change in lifestyle and her tooth problem is only short term

Secondly, Ms. Salazar is said to be successfully aging since even though she is retired, she did so with a solid pension fund that left her feeling pretty secure. Also, her self-efficacy is to be admired because as much as she was never married in her life and did not get kids of her own, she had a very successful career when she was working in a commercial credit union up until the age of 70. She, however, cannot engage in strenuous physical activities, which again eliminates her from being considered as successfully aging. It is stated that even though she likes her residential building to the extent she would not want to leave, she struggles climbing the stairs. It is said that she has enough strength to manage to get to her one-bedroom apartment on the third floor but on her way up the stairs, she has to make a few stops so she can rest.

She considers herself to be in pretty good shape health-wise compared to others of her age so she does not see the craze in exercising. However, she goes for walks with two of her closest neighbors when the weather is nice. Apart from that she can manage the small trips to the grocery store with one of her nephews but lets him help her when the grocery shopping gets bigger. Ms. Salazar regards herself as an independent woman who can take care of herself so she is extra cautious when she gets into the shower. She has needed help only once to get out of her bathtub at a certain time when she was under the weather.

When speaking of her emotional well-being, it seems that Ms. Salazar is lonely but that defines her aging as healthy aging according to Strawbridge and his fellow researchers. On one hand, her interpersonal relationships are thriving. From being close to her neighbors to having prosperous relationships with her nephews and nieces and her extended family at large. Ms. Salazar makes an extra effort to meet up with her friends and calls from time to time to check up on her family as she knows it is best not to take them for granted. However, she cannot help wondering what would be of her love life if she had a special friend for companionship at her age. As mentioned above, she was never once married and did not have kids but she dated often and was even once engaged. She has thought to herself whether her decision of staying in Chicago was a mistake because at the time she was very sure that she would find someone else after her fiance left to live in New York. That was not the case though. I think that even though she does not have any regrets about her decision back in the day, just questions, the loneliness gets to her. It is for this reason that she has been thinking of asking her doctor about putting her on anti-depressants just like one of her neighbors. She keeps busy to help deal with her loneliness and tries to be more positive and practice gratitude for what she has presently.

Ms. Salazar decided to focus more on her strengths and with her regard, she is keeping her mind active with her foreign language classes. She is making preparations for her trip to Italy that she has always dreamed of. For someone of her age, she can be said to be aging well. However, she keeps wondering what it would take for her to go on the solo trip. At the same time, she is thinking of inviting her nephew that lives in Queens since they share a couple of interests such as food and art. Her idea of successful aging includes spending time enjoying activities with her close friends and family and doing life with them. Every person has a different opinion of what is meant to successfully age. Truly, if she continues living like this, she will enjoy many more years while successfully aging.

In an age where successful aging is usually determined by a variety of factors, Kahn Rowe developed a definition that surpasses the usual indicators of successful aging to incorporate a multiplicity of indicators (Rowe & Kahn, 1997). The scholars in this field suggest that successful aging can not only be determined through functioning well as age progresses but also remaining at the optimal level of low risk to disease and disability. As far as these two pioneers in successful aging are concerned, the usual aging description that most people think of when they hear the term successful aging does not necessarily give an operational definition of the term (Cise, et ak, 2018).

Research suggests that the operationalization of successful aging takes into account several attributes of life in the definition of the term. Some definers use physiological models to define successful aging, such as physical ability and health. Others are more concerned with the elements of engagement constructs. For instance, some scholars define successful aging based on the level of social engagement of individuals as they age (Cise, et ak, 2018). On a different note, some people describe successful aging based on the perception of well-being and life satisfaction. They believe that successful aging is guaranteed if one has met all their objectives in life and reached the point of self-actualization (Rowe & Kahn, 1997). Other definers base their definition of the term on personal resources and extrinsic factors such as wealth, finances, savings, and income stability.

In one way or the other, each of the above perspectives of successful aging has some validity in the sense that quite a significant number of people would agree with each of the above definitions. However, it is important to appreciate that individual factors indicated above are not sufficient to fully define successful aging on their own. There is, therefore, a need for the definition of the term to include physical well-being, mental acuity, financial stability, social acceptance and to some extent, self-actualization in the definition of the term (Lamb, et al, 2017). This implies that successful aging may be defined as the optimal state of well-being of an individual in older age regarding physical ability, mental health, financial status, social standing and achievement of personal goals. This definition attempts to encompass all of the significant aspects of successful old age beyond the conventional elements of health and social well-being.

Ms. Salazar in her own opinion is aging successfully. She states that she is independent physically and financially. She also enjoys good food with her nephew from Queens but she is required by her doctor to keep her weight in check by losing some of it. The Activity Theory or Developmental Task Theory best substantiates her sociologic state. The theory sees activity as necessary to maintain a person's life satisfaction and positive self-concept (Lamb, et al, 2017). By remaining active, the older person stays young and lively and does not withdraw from society because of an age parameter. The biological theory that best fits Ms. Salazar is the Wear and Tear Theory. The theory states that cells wear out over time because of continued use (Lamb, et al, 2017). Her physical interactions have not been hindered but she still cannot engage in vigorous physical activities. That is why she even does not see the importance of engaging in exercises such as yoga and dancing. The additional weight creates even greater wear and tear on her joints increasing, the possibility of pain and loss of time enjoying her nephews and nieces. The psychological theory of Selective Optimization with Compensation as "Physical capacity diminishes with age is also another theory that befits her. An individual who ages successfully compensates for these deficits through selection, optimization, and compensation (Lamb, et al, 2017). Ms. Salazar compensates for the inability to do engage in rigorous activities by spending time taking small walks every so often. By helping Ms. Salazar achieve her ideal body weight over a period, will assist her in maintaining her current level of activity which will help maintain her idea of successful aging.

Even with the passage of more than half a century since the inception of the term "successful aging", no standardized and comprehensive definition of the term has emerged. The element of successful aging encompasses numerous factors that influence the description of the term from various viewpoints. To this day, successful aging has not been subject to a comprehensive and all-inclusive definition. However, if all the aspects of the perception of all ages are subject to close consideration and evaluation, the definition aforementioned comes close to an accurate and correct description of the term from various perspectives.

References

Cise, A., Cise, A. C., Lindquist, L., & Cameron, K. (2018). Successful Aging in Place: Seniors' Reflections and Perspectives About What Constitutes Successful Aging. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 19(3), B30.

John W. Rowe and Robert L. Khan, 1997: Successful Aging

Lamb, S., Robbins-Ruszkowski, J., Corwin, A., Calasanti, T., & King, N. (2017). Successful aging as a contemporary obsession: Global perspectives. Rutgers University Press.

William J. Strawbridge, Margaret I. Wall Hagen, and Richard D. Cohen, 2002: Successful Aging and Well-Being: Self-Rated Compared With Rowe and Kahn