Successful Ageing: Psychosocial Factors

This essay examines the concept of successful aging, emphasizing the significant role of psychosocial factors. It begins by defining successful aging and its evolving perception in Western societies, highlighting the increasing older adult population and their contributions to society. The essay then delves into the psychological aspects of aging, discussing the growing mental health concerns among older adults, including anxiety and depression, and their impact on physical health and functionality. It analyzes factors contributing to these issues, such as coping with health problems, caregiving responsibilities, and grief. The importance of providing support and maintaining a positive psychological environment for older adults is stressed. The essay further explores a model of successful aging, encompassing stress exposure, internal resources (hopefulness, altruism, self-esteem), external sources (financial and social resources), and proactive adaptation (preventive and corrective). Finally, it concludes by highlighting the need for proactive support and interventions to promote successful aging, focusing on factors that contribute to a happy and healthy life for older adults.

DISCUSS THE CONCEPT THAT WE CAN ALL AGE SUCCESSFULLY' BY
EVALUATING THE ROLE OF PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS
1

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
DISCUSSION..................................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9
2

INTRODUCTION
The physical, social and the mental wellbeing in the older age is termed as successful ageing.
Successful ageing reflects the changing view on ageing in the Western Countries; these are the
countries where the stigma remains associated with the old age has led to the situation where the
order aged people are considered as the burden on society. It is acknowledged in the researches
the number of older adults is growing at a high level and is contributing to the society.
Psychology of a person plays a very important role in the matter of ageing. It is required that the
people who are moving towards ageing should ensure that they should accept the change and
should work towards to adopt the practices which could help them in remaining healthy and fit.
The report is prepared in relation with delivering the information related with health, well being
and illness. It will help in evaluating the role of psychology in the matter of ageing.
3

DISCUSSION
According to Psychology and Ageing it is being analyzed that psychologists have made a
significant contribution in evaluating the aspects of ageing and the role played by the psychology
in the matter of the same. While addressing the mental health needs of the adults of the older
adults it was evaluated that people of 65 years of age and the older are termed as the fastest
growing segments in the total population (Nicholson Jr., 2009). With the help of the studies it
was evaluated that the immigrants and the members of an ethnic and the racial groups were in
the section of increasing number of the older adults. Studies suggested that there were
approximately 5 million of the adults who were at below poverty level; these adults were
classified into the section of near poor.
There are many of the older adults who enjoy good mental health. However, an anticipation is
was made that most of the older adults facing the mental health issues and behavioral issues will
almost be quadruple, from the four million in 1970 to the 15 million in 2030 (McMahon &
Fleury, 2012).
Critical Analyses Of Factors Affecting Health, Well-Being And Illness Through The Later
Life Course
Mental health in the older aged people includes anxiety and depression has an adverse effect on
physical health and ability to function (Gillsjö & Schwartz-Barcott, 2010). There are certain
other health issues which causes lifelong anxiety and depression these issues includes copying
with the physical problems related with the health, affects the caring for the spouses, dementia,
physical disability, grieving the death of the people whom they loved, and managing the family
conflicts (Schumacher, 2009). These are certain set of aspects which could lead to the lifelong
health issues among the older aged people. It is necessary that people should work towards to
provide them the support so that they could deal with anxiety and depression and could manage
to remain healthy and fit (Fullen, 2016). In this case it is required that a trial should be made that
the psychology of the older aged people could remain positive so that they could move towards
to live healthy life.
4

It is important that the people who are moving towards to ageing should get proper and relevant
set of support in getting treated and managing their lives. Older aged people have the psychology
of taking the things in a very serious way (Ballard, 2010). They do not have a proper
understanding of what is right and what is wrong. In such type of cases it becomes important that
people should try to provide mental support to all the adults moving towards ageing. A proper
environment should be set for all the adults with the help of which they could remain relaxed and
should take tension. Tension becomes the first stage of anxiety and depression hence, it becomes
necessary that proper steps should be taken into consideration with the help of which assurance
could be made that the older aged people will not take tension and will remain happy and fit
(Wichert, Laerhoven & Gelissen, 2016).
(Bittles, 2012)
The above graph is showing information related with the UK population aged 85 and over which
has reached to 1.3 million. In this condition it has become important that all the wishes of the
older aged people should be fulfilled by their relatives so that they could remain happy.
Providing them support and fulfilling their wishes ensure to help the in managing their lives and
helping them in remaining happy and healthy.
5

Model of Successful Ageing
There are various factors that are required to be undertaken for successful ageing (French, 2010).
Taking these factors under consideration will help in delivering proper support to manage the
things and helping the old aged people to manage their lives and ensuring to live happy as well
as healthy life ("Sleep Characteristics In Older Adults: Findings From The 2013 National Health
And Wellness Survey", 2015).
A. Stress Exposure
Stress exposure is the factor which is required to be undertaken to manage the successful ageing
in which it is required that chronic illness, social losses, person environment, and incongruence
should be taken into consideration. Considering these factors will help in managing the things
and will help in ensuring that proper services could be delivered to the old aged people
(Schumacher, 2009).
B. Internal Resource/Disposition of Successful Aging
There are certain internal resources will help in providing a support system and will help in
ensuring the successful aging could be managed. These internal resources are hopefulness in
which it is required that the hope should be kept by the old aged people in various aspects and
help them to understand the criticality of the situations, altruism is another internal resource
which is required to be taken into consideration, self esteem and coping from the difficulties will
also help in managing the things and ageing in a successful way (Rosenblatt, 2014).
6

(Lewis, 2014)
C. External Sources
External sources which will help in successful ageing are financial resources in which it is
required that proper finances should be provided to the old caged people so that they could
manage their purchases. Social resources are the resources in which it is required that proper
social environment should be provided so that old aged people could manage their living
(Rosdahl & Kowalski, 2012).
D. Proactive Adaption
Proactive adaption of the required things should be done. For a successful ageing it is necessary
that proactive actions should be taken so that proper set of plans could be developed in relation
with providing proper set of support to the old aged people (Prior & Sargent-Cox, 2014). In
proactive adaption there are two factors which are required to be taken into consideration these
two factors are:
Preventive Adaption: Preventive adaption consists of the aspects in which various things which
have the preventive nature should be taken into consideration (Nicholson Jr., 2009). Preventive
adaption includes health promotion in which all the aspects with the help of which people could
remain healthy could be promoted. Health promotions ensure to provide a support to the old aged
7

people with the effect of which they could adapt the measures with the effect of which they
could remain healthy and fit (Stenner, McFarquhar & Bowling, 2011). Planning ahead is another
aspect which should be taken into consideration. In this it is required that proper planning should
be done to adapt the things which could help the old aged people in remaining healthy and fit
(McMahon & Fleury, 2012). Helping others should also be taken into consideration, in this it is
required that not only the people of family but others should be provided the support so that they
could remain healthy and fit.
Corrective Adaptations: Corrective adaptations consist of marshalling support, role substitution
and environment modification. It is required that these factors should be undertaken so as to
provide relevant set of support to the people in remaining healthy and fit (Gillsjö & Schwartz-
Barcott, 2010).
E. Quality of Life Outcomes
There are certain set of quality of life outcomes which are required to be taken into consideration
by the old aged people so as to ensure that the successful ageing could be formulated (Fullen,
2016). Quality of life outcomes includes certain set of factors which are required to be focused
upon for successful ageing these factors are affective states, it is required that old aged people
should understand the meaning of life and live it joyfully, maintenance of valued activities and
relationships is another aspect which is required to be taken into consideration.
These are certain se of theoretical perspectives related with health, wellbeing and the social
power and their applications to the adulthood and ageing which will help in living a successful
ageing (Ballard, 2010).
8

CONCLUSION
Evaluating all set of theoretical perspectives related with adulthood and ageing it could be
concluded that ageing is the factor which requires proper support from others so that it could be
managed effectively. It could also be concluded that proactive model of the successful ageing
should be taken into consideration so that proper support could be provided to the adults with the
effect of which they could manage their lives in a proper way. Focusing on the factors which
could help them in living happy and the healthy life will help the people in delivering the
required support to the old aged people and delivering the help with the effect of which they will
manage the successful ageing.
9

REFERENCES
Ballard, J. (2010). Forgetfulness and older adults: concept analysis. Journal Of Advanced
Nursing, 66(6), 1409-1419.
Bittles, A. (2012). Consanguinity in context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
French, D. (2010). Health psychology. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
Fullen, M. (2016). Counseling for Wellness With Older Adults. Adultspan Journal, 15(2), 109-
123.
Gillsjö, C., & Schwartz-Barcott, D. (2010). A concept analysis of home and its meaning in the
lives of three older adults. International Journal Of Older People Nursing, 6(1), 4-12.
Lewis, J. (2014). The Role of the Social Engagement in the Definition of Successful Ageing
among Alaska Native Elders in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Psychology & Developing Societies, 26(2),
263-290.
McMahon, S., & Fleury, J. (2012). Wellness in Older Adults: A Concept Analysis. Nursing
Forum, 47(1), 39-51.
Nicholson Jr., N. (2009). Social isolation in older adults: an evolutionary concept
analysis. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 65(6), 1342-1352.
Prior, K., & Sargent-Cox, K. (2014). Students' expectations of ageing: An evaluation of the
impact of imagined intergenerational contact and the mediating role of ageing anxiety. Journal
Of Experimental Social Psychology, 55, 99-104.
Rosdahl, C., & Kowalski, M. (2012). Textbook of basic nursing. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer
Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Rosenblatt, B. (2014). Museum Education and Art Therapy: Promoting Wellness in Older
Adults. Journal Of Museum Education, 39(3), 293-301.
10

Schumacher, S. (2009). Nursing for Wellness in Older Adults. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 23(1),
45.
Sleep Characteristics In Older Adults: Findings From The 2013 National Health And Wellness
Survey. (2015). The Gerontologist, 55(Suppl_2), 513-513.
Stenner, P., McFarquhar, T., & Bowling, A. (2011). Older people and ‘active ageing’: Subjective
aspects of ageing actively. Journal Of Health Psychology, 16(3), 467-477.
Wichert, R., Laerhoven, K., & Gelissen, J. (2016). Constructing Ambient Intelligence. London:
Routeledge.
11