Life Course Approaches In Health Social Care And Ageing

This essay discusses the concept of successful aging and the role of psychological and psychosocial factors in ensuring successful aging. It explores the relationship between these factors and health, wellbeing, and illness in the later life course. The essay also highlights the importance of psychological resilience, purpose in life, and physical health in aging well.

Life Course Approaches In
Health Social Care And
Ageing
(We can all age successfully by evaluating the role
of psychological and psychosocial factors and their
relationship to health, wellbeing and illness
through the later life-course)

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Ageing includes changes in how an individual feel and function mentally and physically
through their life. Successful ageing is referred as the perception of an individual of a favourable
adaptation to functional and cumulative physiologic changes related to passage of time. It
involves emphasizing on what is crucial to an individual and being enable to do what an
individual want to do in old age (Smith and Hollinger-Smith, 2015). This is an essay report
which discusses about successful aging and the role that psychosocial and psychological factors
play in ensuring successful aging. Apart from this, the report also covers relationship of factors
to health, wellbeing as well as illness through the later life course.
MAIN BODY
Successful Ageing is defined as the optimization of expectancy of life while reducing mental
and physical deterioration as well as disability. This concept emphasizes on absence of risk
factors associated with disease, absence of chronic disease, higher level of autonomous physical
functioning, mobility, performance and cognitive functioning, and good health. Successful aging
is referred as a multifaceted and complicated concept which differs contextually amongst
persons, disciplines as well as even time. The increase in lifespan of human has bought
maximized attention to what forces contribute to aging well. Nowadays, people are not only
emphasizing on longevity but on the way to remain in good health in later years. The key to
ageing successful includes maintenance of mental and physical functioning and the absence of
diseases.
There is a connection between successful aging and good psychological health. The mental
health of an individual highly contributes in predicting the way people age well. There are
different psychological factors including high rates of resilience, low rates of depression etc. that
contributes in successful aging of an individual (Bülow and Söderqvist, 2014). It is found from
the research that the people who have high rates of resilience and low rates of depression are
more likely to live well. The term psychological resiliency is referred as the ability of an
individual to properly adapt to adversity and stress. It is depicted within people who can
relatively and effectively easily steer their way surrounding crisis and use efficient and effective
methods to cope up with the situation. Therefore, an individual who have high resiliency level
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are more likely to have optimistic Outlook on life as well as see their situations of life and health
in an optimistic light.
Apart from the resiliency, there are some other psychological factors that contribute to
ageing in successful way. It has been found that the feeling within an individual of having a
purpose in life is also one of the indicators of healthy aging (Jeste and et al., 2013). This feeling
has the potential for declining mortality risk. Individuals that have adaptive defenses from 20 to
50 years of age are also more possibly to age well in comparison to those people who use more
immature defenses like dissociation and projection.
People who are more psychologically resilient and healthy are more possibly to age
successfully. In addition to this the physical health of an individual before 50 years of age might
be the greatest determinate to age well. One of the productive factor of successful aging is
healthy body mass index of an individual at the age of 50 years. The other factors that
contributed well to successful aging includes having interest as well as concern regarding others,
ability to laugh and play well and a sense of humour, a desire to learn new things, accepting and
understanding limitations, proper understanding of past as well as its impact on the lives when
living in present, emphasize on good and positive in the people instead of negative things or
events that may occur in the life of an individual (Lafortune and et al., 2016). All these factors
highly contribute in the life of an individual and supports in ageing well. It has been identified
that this social factor is a predictor of successful aging.
It is true that psychology of an individual decides that how an individual will face the
challenges which ageing will bring in his/her life. Mental strength and behavior are two crucial
factors that may change with life. When an individual is millennial phase then he/she can think
that there is time to do things and they can achieve a lot but 50 plus is a phase where the thought
of “limited time” starts striking in mind. Successful ageing depends on how these thoughts are
managed by people. Behavior changes with experience and negativity in mind of a person
enhances when he/she does not get things according to his/her expectations (Brett and et al.,
2012). If someone can control own feelings and thoughts then successful ageing will become
easy to him/her.
Psychosocial factors also have connection with successful aging. They are basically
combination between Psychological and social environment. Mental health of a person depends
on the society in which he/she is living. Financial stability, family dynamics, social support
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networks, physical health and justification of negative life outcomes are few Psychological
factors that make a huge impact on a person’s life. People think that they will face issues like
dementia, stress and anxiety in later course of their life but these are myths. There are multiple
Psychosocial and psychological factors that can decide that whether a person will face different
mental health related issues in old age or not.
Health is considered as the most important thing in life of an individual. Money, social
recognition and family support do not matter much if a person is unhealthy and have health
issues (Woo, Yau and Yu, 2015). Success aging is not possible if Psychosocial factors like
physical health is ignored by a person. People run behind money because they understand that
financial ability will provide mental peace which will ultimately help them in avoiding stress.
Health suffers a lot if a person is depressed. Materialistic things assist human being in
successfully ageing if they are used in appropriate way. Family dynamics is another crucial
factor which has connection with ageing of individuals. Human need human, they cannot live in
isolation because of their basic nature. If family members are close to an individual then it
provide him/her morale support that whatever happens in his/her life, there are people who will
help him/her. This social support also provides psychological assistance which is essential in
successfully ageing.
Bereavement and widowhood plays significant role in successful ageing. It is definite that
everyone will go though touch phase of loneliness and feel that most important person of his/her
life has left him/her. But, the key for success ageing depends on how individual react to these
situations. They have to understand that basic concept that they cannot leave in past and get sad
about death of close one. It is important to live in present as it allows people to forget about those
things which are not on their control (Macdonald and Levy, 2016). Some people start
concentrating on their life goals after losing their spouse. This stop problem of over thinking and
save them from various health issues. On the other hand, some people get into depression after
losing their partner. They feel ill as they fail to accept the mere fact that no one is immortal.
It is true that Psychosocial and psychological factors are very important for someone who
wants to age successfully. There are various facts which shows that later course of life can be
more difficult for humans if they will not understand psychosocial factors. Divorce rate has
doubled globally in last three decades. It depicts that family support is going to be an important
element which will be missing in life of many people. Doubling of single parent household is
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another proof successfully ageing is going to be a big challenge in future. Marriage was
considered as an unbreakable bond between two humans. But in present situation, number of
babies who took birth outside of marriage has gone up by 5 times.
There was a time when average size of family was 3 children but now it has come to 1.6. These
are few frightening facts about family dynamics and personal control which shows that modern
lifestyle needs radical changes if this generation wants to age successfully. Wellbeing, heath and
illness are interconnected. There are many psychosocial factors which can positively or
negatively impact them, weighted average can be considered as a deciding factor that can depict
that how successfully can someone age (Villar, 2012).
CONCLUSION
As per the above mentioned essay it has been concluded that there is strong relation
between psychosocial factors and health & well being on people. They are connected to ageing
successfully; if these factors are ignored by someone then later course of life will be difficult for
him/her. Psychological factors also have a sound connection with successfully ageing. It has an
important role in improving mental health and illness of people who are getting close their 50s
and 60s. A person can successfully age if he/she understand the importance of Psychological and
psychosocial factors.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Brett, C.E and et al., 2012. Psychosocial factors and health as determinants of quality of life in
community-dwelling older adults. Quality of Life Research. 21(3). pp.505-516.
Bülow, M.H. and Söderqvist, T., 2014. Successful ageing: A historical overview and critical
analysis of a successful concept. Journal of Aging Studies. 31. pp.139-149.
Jeste, D.V and et al., 2013. Association between older age and more successful aging: critical
role of resilience and depression. American Journal of Psychiatry. 170(2). pp.188-196.
Lafortune, L and et al., 2016. Behavioural risk factors in mid-life associated with successful
ageing, disability, dementia and frailty in later life: a rapid systematic review. PloS one.
11(2).
Macdonald, J.L. and Levy, S.R., 2016. Ageism in the workplace: The role of psychosocial
factors in predicting job satisfaction, commitment, and engagement. Journal of Social
Issues. 72(1). pp.169-190.
Smith, J.L. and Hollinger-Smith, L., 2015. Savoring, resilience, and psychological well-being in
older adults. Aging & mental health, 19(3). pp.192-200.
Villar, F., 2012. Successful ageing and development: The contribution of generativity in older
age. Ageing & Society. 32(7). pp.1087-1105.
Woo, J., Yau, F. and Yu, R., 2015. Role of Physical Activity in Successful Ageing. In Successful
Aging (pp. 251-267). Springer, Dordrecht.
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