Pub Date : 2021-10-01DOI: 10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0003
C. Tesch-Römer, H. Wahl, Suresh I. S. Rattan, L. Ayalon
The authors propose a taxonomy of successful ageing conceptions organized according to five selected models of successful ageing used in ageing research. The models are rooted—explicitly or implicitly—in philosophical traditions describing a good life. The dominant model in gerontological research, Rowe and Kahn’s model of successful ageing, follows the tradition of American pragmatism, emphasizing practical effects of concepts and ideas. In addition to this model, four additional models of successful ageing are introduced and discussed: hedonic, eudaimonic, capability approach, and care ethics-based, each of them coming from different philosophical schools. The five models are compared according to the following criteria: age relevance, inclusiveness, locus of responsibility, normativity, and measurability. The taxonomy lies the ground for all the arguments that follow in the remainder of the book.
{"title":"A taxonomy of successful ageing conceptions","authors":"C. Tesch-Römer, H. Wahl, Suresh I. S. Rattan, L. Ayalon","doi":"10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0003","url":null,"abstract":"The authors propose a taxonomy of successful ageing conceptions organized according to five selected models of successful ageing used in ageing research. The models are rooted—explicitly or implicitly—in philosophical traditions describing a good life. The dominant model in gerontological research, Rowe and Kahn’s model of successful ageing, follows the tradition of American pragmatism, emphasizing practical effects of concepts and ideas. In addition to this model, four additional models of successful ageing are introduced and discussed: hedonic, eudaimonic, capability approach, and care ethics-based, each of them coming from different philosophical schools. The five models are compared according to the following criteria: age relevance, inclusiveness, locus of responsibility, normativity, and measurability. The taxonomy lies the ground for all the arguments that follow in the remainder of the book.","PeriodicalId":192675,"journal":{"name":"Successful Aging","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123941253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-10-01DOI: 10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0009
C. Tesch-Römer, H. Wahl, Suresh I. S. Rattan, L. Ayalon
The major task of this closing chapter is to strive for reconciliation between the very divergent positions and perspectives on successful ageing that have been outlined in this book. The building blocks enabling at least partial reconciliation are the emphasis of the need for pluralism in conceptual reasoning on the notion of successful ageing; the insistence that one must be aware of the full implications of choosing any particular model of successful ageing; and the claim that the discourse on successful ageing can only, to a limited extent, be driven by empirical data. Instead, illuminating the underlying normative conceptions of what it means to enjoy a good life in old age is key to arrive at a more holistic picture of successful ageing that comes with heuristic utility. At the same time, visions of the good life in old age need further elaboration, but remaining ambivalences seem unavoidable.
{"title":"Towards a new narrative on successful ageing","authors":"C. Tesch-Römer, H. Wahl, Suresh I. S. Rattan, L. Ayalon","doi":"10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0009","url":null,"abstract":"The major task of this closing chapter is to strive for reconciliation between the very divergent positions and perspectives on successful ageing that have been outlined in this book. The building blocks enabling at least partial reconciliation are the emphasis of the need for pluralism in conceptual reasoning on the notion of successful ageing; the insistence that one must be aware of the full implications of choosing any particular model of successful ageing; and the claim that the discourse on successful ageing can only, to a limited extent, be driven by empirical data. Instead, illuminating the underlying normative conceptions of what it means to enjoy a good life in old age is key to arrive at a more holistic picture of successful ageing that comes with heuristic utility. At the same time, visions of the good life in old age need further elaboration, but remaining ambivalences seem unavoidable.","PeriodicalId":192675,"journal":{"name":"Successful Aging","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131609035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-10-01DOI: 10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0001
C. Tesch-Römer, H. Wahl, Suresh I. S. Rattan, L. Ayalon
The notion of successful ageing has been one of the most successful but also one of the most controversial concepts of ageing research over the last 60 years. Attempts to uncover the secret of successful ageing have often resembled something like a quest for the Golden Fleece. And that quest continues within contemporary gerontology—so far with no end in sight. As shown in this introductory chapter, human history is full of strivings to live a youthful life without end. Still, controversies over successful ageing continue. In the following chapters of the book various conceptual models are analysed, and strategies and interventions for successful ageing discussed.
{"title":"History of successful ageing","authors":"C. Tesch-Römer, H. Wahl, Suresh I. S. Rattan, L. Ayalon","doi":"10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0001","url":null,"abstract":"The notion of successful ageing has been one of the most successful but also one of the most controversial concepts of ageing research over the last 60 years. Attempts to uncover the secret of successful ageing have often resembled something like a quest for the Golden Fleece. And that quest continues within contemporary gerontology—so far with no end in sight. As shown in this introductory chapter, human history is full of strivings to live a youthful life without end. Still, controversies over successful ageing continue. In the following chapters of the book various conceptual models are analysed, and strategies and interventions for successful ageing discussed.","PeriodicalId":192675,"journal":{"name":"Successful Aging","volume":"61 3","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131452297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-10-01DOI: 10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0002
S. Rattan
From a biological perspective, ageing is generally considered as a downhill phase of life, with a progressive decline in physiological functionality and an increase in the chances of chronic diseases and death. The onset of this phase of life does not start with birth because the early phase of life is a constructive phase of growth, development, maturation, and reproduction. Ageing sets in and happens progressively, exponentially, and intrinsically in the period of survival beyond the naturally evolved essential lifespan of a species. Ageing can be defined as a progressive shrinkage of the homeodynamic space having the fundamental characteristics of stress tolerance, damage control, and constant remodelling. Biologically successful ageing thus implies maintaining, recovering, or even enhancing those abilities that support survival and health in the framework of homeodynamic space.
{"title":"Biological perspectives on successful ageing","authors":"S. Rattan","doi":"10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0002","url":null,"abstract":"From a biological perspective, ageing is generally considered as a downhill phase of life, with a progressive decline in physiological functionality and an increase in the chances of chronic diseases and death. The onset of this phase of life does not start with birth because the early phase of life is a constructive phase of growth, development, maturation, and reproduction. Ageing sets in and happens progressively, exponentially, and intrinsically in the period of survival beyond the naturally evolved essential lifespan of a species. Ageing can be defined as a progressive shrinkage of the homeodynamic space having the fundamental characteristics of stress tolerance, damage control, and constant remodelling. Biologically successful ageing thus implies maintaining, recovering, or even enhancing those abilities that support survival and health in the framework of homeodynamic space.","PeriodicalId":192675,"journal":{"name":"Successful Aging","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127213345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-10-01DOI: 10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0004
C. Tesch-Römer, H. Wahl, Suresh I. S. Rattan, L. Ayalon
Individual strategies are necessary for successful ageing. Three of the models discussed in the previous chapter—the pragmatic, hedonic, and eudaimonic models—put particular emphasis on individuals’ striving to reach their desired endpoints: to be fit, autonomous and engaged; to be happy; or to be wise, respectively. Nevertheless, the primary responsibility for successful ageing lies mainly in the hands of the individual, although external factors may be in place to support the individual’s effort to age successfully. At present, ageing research has focused to a large extent on individual strategies and resources for successful to the individual level. The main results from ageing research are discussed in this chapter.
{"title":"Individual strategies for successful ageing","authors":"C. Tesch-Römer, H. Wahl, Suresh I. S. Rattan, L. Ayalon","doi":"10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0004","url":null,"abstract":"Individual strategies are necessary for successful ageing. Three of the models discussed in the previous chapter—the pragmatic, hedonic, and eudaimonic models—put particular emphasis on individuals’ striving to reach their desired endpoints: to be fit, autonomous and engaged; to be happy; or to be wise, respectively. Nevertheless, the primary responsibility for successful ageing lies mainly in the hands of the individual, although external factors may be in place to support the individual’s effort to age successfully. At present, ageing research has focused to a large extent on individual strategies and resources for successful to the individual level. The main results from ageing research are discussed in this chapter.","PeriodicalId":192675,"journal":{"name":"Successful Aging","volume":"42 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125046583","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-10-01DOI: 10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0006
C. Tesch-Römer, H. Wahl, Suresh I. S. Rattan, L. Ayalon
Social bonds and care are important factors for successful ageing. Most people do not grow old in isolation, but together with other people, supporting them and being supported by them. While ageing, people are embedded into a social network formed by family, friends, and neighbours. These social bonds are a necessary precondition for successful self-development over the course of our lives. The process of growing very old is characterized by morbidity, functional loss, and care needs. Hence, it is important to account for factors that enable successful ageing even in a life phase when social support and long-term care are becoming more important for a good life. Therefore, successful ageing must be seen in the context of advanced old age.
{"title":"Social bonds, care, and successful ageing","authors":"C. Tesch-Römer, H. Wahl, Suresh I. S. Rattan, L. Ayalon","doi":"10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780192897534.003.0006","url":null,"abstract":"Social bonds and care are important factors for successful ageing. Most people do not grow old in isolation, but together with other people, supporting them and being supported by them. While ageing, people are embedded into a social network formed by family, friends, and neighbours. These social bonds are a necessary precondition for successful self-development over the course of our lives. The process of growing very old is characterized by morbidity, functional loss, and care needs. Hence, it is important to account for factors that enable successful ageing even in a life phase when social support and long-term care are becoming more important for a good life. Therefore, successful ageing must be seen in the context of advanced old age.","PeriodicalId":192675,"journal":{"name":"Successful Aging","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129831713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}