13 - Successful aging

Question 1

What is healthy aging according to WHO?

Answer 1

• 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

Question 2

Healthy aging includes both ___ and ___ outcomes.

Answer 2

Measurable; subjective

Question 3

What is promotion of healthy aging?

Answer 3

• 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

Question 4

What is successful aging?

Answer 4

• 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

Question 5

What is the difference between healthy aging and successful aging?

Answer 5

→ 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

Question 6

True or false: The concept of successful aging can be applied at the population level for purpose of policies.

Answer 6

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

Question 7

True or false: Successful aging cannot be applied at the individual level.

Answer 7

False: Can also be applied at the individual level
→ E.g., Measured by outcomes of physical and cognitive functioning and life involvement

Question 8

What are biomedical aspects of successful aging?

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

What are the psychosocial aspects of aging?

Answer 9

• 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

Question 10

What are 3 general factors influencing successful aging?

Answer 10

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

Question 11

How does social determinants of health relate to successful aging? (5)

Answer 11

• 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

Question 12

How does social and community context relate to successful aging?

Answer 12

• 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

Question 13

How does economic stability relate to successful aging?

Answer 13

• 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

Question 14

How does education access and quality in relate to successful aging?

Answer 14

• 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

Question 15

How does healthcare access and quality relate to successful aging?

Answer 15

• 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

Question 16

How does neighborhood and built environment relate to successful aging?

Answer 16

→ 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

Question 17

How do individual personal characteristics relate to successful aging?

Answer 17

• 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

Question 18

What are 3 healthy behaviours to maintain throughout life (for aging)?

Answer 18

• 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

Question 19

What can we do to promote successful aging? What are the problems with this list?

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

What are the challenges of successful aging? (barriers)

Answer 20

• 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

Question 21

What are some technologies which enable improvement?

Answer 21

• 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

Question 22

What elements can we use to compare a man from Okinawa, Japan and a man from Chad?

Answer 22

• Life expectancy
• Nutrition
• General health
• Health care access
• Physical activity
• Education
• Economic stability

Question 23

Explain the case study elements of a man from Okinawa Japan.

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Explain the case study elements of a man from Chad (Central Africa).

Answer 24

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)

Question 25

What are the contributions to prevention?

Answer 25

• 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