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Recommended: Theory of successful aging

Successful Aging:
Aging is one of the important topics in the modern world because people are always getting older, increase in work with elderly people than ever before, and the increased need to help older people to live the best age possible. The increased concern for this topic has also been fueled by the fact that an older population places new demands on social structures. Some of the major social structures that will be affected by an aging population include the basic family unit, the health system, and the education system. The changes in the family unit will be characterized by many people becoming grandparents while they are still active in their professions. On the other hand, schools and universities are likely to attract many older students than ever before while the health care system will be forced to adapt new treatment methods to address the needs of aging population that needs to prevent illness before its occurrence. As the number of older people continues to increase in the modern society, the issue of successful aging has received more attention since it poses a challenge for biology, social science and medicine. There are various theories in the discipline of gerontology that can be used to understand how to age successfully and promote a healthier old age.
What is Successful Aging?
Successful aging is a concept that is used to describe the physical, social, and mental well-being in older age. This concept has primarily received increased attention in the recent past because of significant increases in the absolute and relative number of older people in today’s society (Rowe & Kahn, 1997, p.433). This increase has in turned contributed to challenges for medicine, social and behavioral science, and ...

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...ties tend to experience unhealthy aging as compared to their counterparts in high income societies. Notably, socioeconomic differences imply that some older individuals will suffer from the impact of early health disadvantage in low income societies. Therefore, social structures like economic status have considerable effects on successful aging.
Conclusion:
Successful aging is a multi-dimensional concept that is used to refer to physical, mental, and social well-being in older age. This concept is influenced by several factors that contribute to several theories that are related to it. The two major theories in gerontology that can be linked to successful aging are biomedical theories and socioeconomic-environmental approaches. The theories provide varying perspectives that govern principles and practices that contribute to the realization of successful aging.

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