Ageing better or Successful Ageing

When we think of ageing, many of us think of the physical changes that come with it. But ageing is much more than just the wrinkles on our faces or the aches in our joints. It's also about our mental and social well-being. The good news? We can prepare to age better.

The World Health Organization defines health as not just the absence of disease or infirmity, but a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. This definition underpins the concept of successful ageing. The goal isn't to stop ageing - that's impossible. But we can aim to expand our functional years, to age not just longer, but better.

The concept of successful ageing is multidimensional. It's about being able to remain independent, to stay physically and mentally fit, and to continue engaging with life. It's about maintaining social networks and receiving the support we need as we age. Who knows, even making a positive contribution yourself towards others and your community.

A big part of successful ageing is about being able to age in place, to stay in our homes and communities as we grow older. The concept ‘Ageing in place’ as a result based on empirical research is defined just in a very few studies. Grimmer et al. (Reference Grimmer, Kay, Foot and Pastakia2015) stated that ‘ageing in place’ is mostly about the opportunity for older people to remain in their own home for as long as possible, without having to move to a long-term care facility.

And from this study I quote:

‘We were able to identify five key themes: place, social networks, support, technology and personal characteristics. Professionals and governments should consider including all of these key themes in the development of policies concerning ‘ageing in place’. Only then can they handle ‘ageing in place’ in an integrated way and develop policies that suit older people.’

Thankfully it’s not only the government who’s able and should put it the work. We can start to do so individually. Preparing for successful ageing is a big task, but it's not an impossible one. There are steps we can take, at any age, to prepare to age successfully. We can take care of our physical health, of course, by eating right and staying active. But we should also take care of our mental health, by staying mentally active and engaged. We should nurture our social networks and seek out support when we need it. And we should make plans for our future, to ensure that we can age in place, in our homes and communities.

And remember, ageing isn't something to be feared. It's something to be embraced. As the saying goes, it's a privilege to grow old - one we should all hope to enjoy.

As hard as it might be to picture yourself growing old, it might be healthy and even desirable to consider preparing for the ageing years. If we do the work what’s inevitable might become desirable if planned in due time. In this case, playing the long game might make us happier, something to consider and perhaps prioritise next time find yourself drafting your life goals. How does the happiest 80 year old version of yourself look like?