13 - Successful aging Flashcards
What is healthy aging according to WHO?
- Healthy aging is a continuous process of optimizing opportunities to maintain and improve physical and mental health, independence, and quality of life throughout the life course
→ does not necessarily require disease avoidance; you can be healthy, but also have some risk factors – they just need to be managed
Healthy aging includes both ___ and ___ outcomes.
Measurable; subjective
What is promotion of healthy aging?
- Promotion of healthy aging is putting the idea of a healthy lifestyle into practice
→ unhealthy habits (smoking, not getting enough exercise, etc.) change your overall output; once you start addressing these, you’ll start seeing changes in overall wellbeing over time
What is successful aging?
- Successful aging is defined as maintaining high physical, psychological, and social functioning in old age without major disease
→ the AVOIDANCE of disease - The focus is to expand our healthy and functional years later into our lifespan
- Typically includes avoiding disease and disability (however this has begun to change)
→ because people with disease and disability can still age successfully
What is the difference between healthy aging and successful aging?
→ healthy aging: improving and maintaining health, independence and quality of life, throughout the lifespan
→ successful aging: achieving and maintaining OPTIMAL functioning or quality of life, at a particular point in life – typically associated with longevity
True or false: The concept of successful aging can be applied at the population level for purpose of policies.
True:
→ E.g., WHO decade of healthy aging
→ E.g., Community plays a role in supporting successful aging
→ WHO has a plan for combating ageism, integrated care and creating age-friendly environments
True or false: Successful aging cannot be applied at the individual level.
False: Can also be applied at the individual level
→ E.g., Measured by outcomes of physical and cognitive functioning and life involvement
What are biomedical aspects of successful aging?
- Physiological Functioning: avoiding disease and disability
- Cognitive Functioning: maintaining cognitive abilities and preventing memory disorders
-
Physical Functioning: maintaining mobility and ability to perform ADLs
→ hard to maintain; decrease in muscle mass and strength in the aging process + lack of nutrition and physical activity can also make it more problematic
→ p.ex: chronic pain
What are the psychosocial aspects of aging?
- includes both objective and subjective markers)
→ affects people’s capacity to make choices that suit them best for their individual needs and resources
→ will age successfully if actively engaged in life and psychosocially well adapted
→ Actively Engaged In Life: remaining socially involved and maintain their role in society
→ Psychologically Well Adapted: positive perception of aging, high life satisfaction, and purpose in life
What are 3 general factors influencing successful aging?
1) Physical and social environments
→ Access to safe and high-quality services and environments
2) Individual personal characteristics
→ Age, sex, race/ethnicity, SES
3) Maintaining healthy behaviors throughout life:
→ Balanced nutrition
→ Regular physical activity
How does social determinants of health relate to successful aging? (5)
- It is a factor influencing successful aging
- The conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality- of-life outcomes and risks
→ Social and community context
→ Economic stability
→ Education access and quality
→ Health care access and quality
→ Neighborhood and built environment
How does social and community context relate to successful aging?
- It is a factor influencing successful aging
- Involves interactions with family, friends, community members
- Strong relationships and a sense of solidarity with a group has a positive impact on physical and mental health
- A sense of connection also helps us cope better with stress
→ high tolerance for stress and challenges faced in daily life
How does economic stability relate to successful aging?
- It is a factor influencing successful aging
→ Involves having access to resources to afford the necessities of life
→ Access to employment or retirement benefits help reduce economic instability
→ Economic stability allows older adults to maintain independence and quality of life
How does education access and quality in relate to successful aging?
- It is a factor influencing successful aging
→ Closely tied with many aspects of health including the ability to find, understand, and use health information, also known as personal health literacy
→ Many older adults struggle to understand health information
→ p.ex: being able to fill out medical forms; seeing blood work results online, older people may not be able to do that
→ change in technology needs to be accompanied with education; p.ex: workshops to teach older people how to use certain tools
How does healthcare access and quality relate to successful aging?
- It is a factor influencing successful aging
- Involves ability to get health care throughout our lifespan
- Most older adults have at least 1 chronic condition, but face barriers to receive the care they need
→ many can have 2 or more, which require special care - Barriers include transitions from employer health insurance to government plans
→ or things like living in rural areas, i.e., living farther from your doctor could limit or prevent older adults from seeing their doctor - preventative care is essential for successful aging
How does neighborhood and built environment relate to successful aging?
→ Having access to accessible, safe, affordable homes and reliable transportation
→ Neighborhoods with access to food, green spaces, and recreational facilties all support physical health and mobility
→ Exposure to pollution, crime, and poor living conditions can increase stress and exacerbate health problems
How do individual personal characteristics relate to successful aging?
-
Sex
→ Females have a longer lifespan and may experience more chronic conditions
→ Males face higher risks for acute conditions (e.g., heart disease)
→ Gender impacts family responsibilities and access to resources and social support -
Race/Ethnicity
→ Cultural practices can shape attitudes towards health
→ some cultures place a strong emphasis on supporting older adults, which will help aging
→ Minorities face disparities in health care access, social support, and resources -
Socioeconomic Status
→ Low SES is associated with less access to services
→ SES influences health behaviors and mental health behaviors
→ people with high SES are more likely to engage in health promoting behaviour, and have the resources to manage chronic conditions effectively
What are 3 healthy behaviours to maintain throughout life (for aging)?
-
Balanced nutrition
→ How we eat directly affects our mental, emotional, and physical functioning
→ influences mental stability, which includes not being easily depressed
→ Changes in our nutritional requirements occur across lifespan
→ Limit the intake of added sugar, saturated fats, sodium, and alcohol
→ older adults may need less calories than a 35 y.o., but they still need specific nutrients and vitamins to remain healthy; they’ll take vitamins and supplements to ensure its maintained
→ balanced nutrition greatly contributes to quality of life and successful aging -
Regular physical activity
→ Having a sedentary lifestyle is hazardous to your health
→ Physical activity is also linked to less brain atrophy, better brain function, and cognitive performance
→ Helps improve mental well-being and prevention of chronic disease
→ Exercise improves with cardiovascular fitness (aerobic exercise) and chronic conditions (e.g., osteoporosis if doing weight-bearing exercises -
Refraining from smoking
→ Smoking accelerates the aging process and increases mortality risk
→ It is the leading cause of respiratory diseases and increases risk of cardiovascular conditions
→ Smoking hastens the aging process including skin damage, wrinkles, age-related diseases
→ wounds take longer to heal
What can we do to promote successful aging? What are the problems with this list?
- Steps for successful aging (summary):
→ Balanced diet, no smoking, physical activity
→ Good and accessible education and health services
→ Having economic stability
→ Living in a good neighborhood
→ Access to social services - a lot of these factors are interconnected; p.ex: economic stability can alter living in a good neighborhood, which would then influence access to resources and health services, etc.
→ so this list could benefit from recognizing these interdependencies - although appears universal, there are significant disparities here because of EDI (equity, diversity and inclusivity)
- we have to address the disparities that affect this list
What are the challenges of successful aging? (barriers)
- Numerous barriers exist that prevent some older adults from achieving successful aging:
-
Low Income: lower incomes may result in struggling to afford health care, nutritious food, and safe house
→ mental health care and dental health care are often not free in Canada, and in most countries are not - Minority status: Racial/ethnic minorities face discrimination and unequal access to resources
-
Low education level: lower levels have reduced health literacy and influences financial stability / job prospects
→ difficulty making important decisions and accessing necessary services - Geographic location: Rural areas often lack adequate health and social services
What are some technologies which enable improvement?
-
Social connectivity: Social media platforms like Zoom, FaceTime, WhatsApp help people stay connected with family and friends
→ Health monitoring and management: Various fitness trackers & smart monitors provide real-time feedback and allow for remote monitoring of health systems
→ p.ex: fitbits can help individuals track their health, set goals and stay motivated -
Safety and emergency response: Other wearable devices have emergency buttons for real-time monitoring of people in their environment
→ also automated devices like lights, alarm systems, etc. to ensure the health and safety of older adults even from a distance - Assistive technologies: Devices and technology such as hearing aids and bifocals help improve accessibility for individuals with sensory or physical impairments
- Access to health information and education: Many apps exist to manage medications, track health metrics, and access health information
What elements can we use to compare a man from Okinawa, Japan and a man from Chad?
- Life expectancy
- Nutrition
- General health
- Health care access
- Physical activity
- Education
- Economic stability
Explain the case study elements of a man from Okinawa Japan.
Life expectancy: 90 years of age
Nutrition:
- Rich in vegetables, fruits, tofu, fish
- Low intake of sugar and processed foods
General health:
- Low incidence of chronic disease
Health care access:
- Access to high-quality services with comprehensive health insurance
Physical activity:
- Physical activity is part of daily life/routine
Education:
- High-quality education with nearly universal literacy and a strong emphasis on lifelong learning
Economic stability:
High economic stability supporting access to healthcare and resources
Pension system providing financial security to older adults
Explain the case study elements of a man from Chad (Central Africa).
Life expectancy: 53 years of age
Nutrition:
- Mainly millet, sorghum, and corn
- Limited access to nutrient-rich foods
General health:
- High malnutrition & infectious disease (á in chronic disease)
- Limited healthcare infrastructure, facilities, & professionals
Health care access:
- Limited (often no) health insurance
Physical activity:
- Physical activity is often linked to daily survival tasks
Education:
- Education limited, especially in rural areas, with low literacy rates and significant gender disparities
Economic stability:
- Low economic stability and high poverty rates limit access to healthcare and education
- Limited financial help for older adults (they often rely on family or community help)
What are the contributions to prevention?
-
Primary Prevention: an intervention that prevents disease or condition from occurring
→ Access to safe and high-quality services and environments
→ Promoting balanced diets, physical activity, and refraining from smoking -
Secondary Prevention: program initiated after a condition has begun and before significant impairments have occurred
→ Regular checkups, improving diet, increasing physical activity, and quitting smoking - Tertiary Prevention: involves efforts to avoid the development of complications or secondary chronic conditions, manage pain associated with
