Life expectancy has improved considerably during the past few decades, and increasingly more people look forward to twenty years or more of life after retirement. But, the growing number of older adults, and the rising proportion of them to a younger population, provide both challenges and opportunities for society (Merriam & Kee, 2014). So, it is important to explore the attitudes toward, understanding and plan for this period of our lives.

The potential benefits of such explorations extend beyond the welfare of the individuals, their beloved families and the society they live in (Fowler & Christakis, 2009). After all, older adults who are happy and relatively healthy become assets rather than burdens for their families and society (Allen, 2008).

But, how old can be considered old? There are wide variations in this regard, but World Health Organisation (WHO) has recognised 60+ as a satisfactory threshold (World Health Organisation, 2015).

The Negative Image of Ageing

I am 68 and physically much less agile than I was twenty years ago. My strides are slower, and climbing a flight of steps is becoming more and more demanding. But I enjoy having years of added knowledge and skills, feel more confident in what I do for work and every year, I appreciate the beauty of seasons more than the last.

I feel rather uncomfortable that nowadays, ageing is blamed for many problems in our society and is considered a burden on the community and the younger generation (Angus & Reeve, 2006). I think ageing should not be introduced in such a ghastly and divisive manner.

Unfortunately, we are living in an increasingly divided society. Here in London, where I live, the dividing line is not just about attitudes to race, religion, immigration, and politics, but also concerning age. Mass media is full of clips that constantly place younger and older people against each other. Below are a few examples;

• older people block the beds in our hospitals and are bankrupting our healthcare system.

• older people are enjoying pensions and state benefits that the younger generation cannot afford.

• older people keep youngsters out of work by insisting on staying in their jobs for longer than expected.

• And some question whether older people should be voting at all, claiming that the future only belongs to younger people.

Generally, older people are portrayed as the ticking demographic time bomb, the burden society cannot afford, and the generation that refuses to hand the baton in time. What’s even worse, in line with this social atmosphere, some older people feel useless, shameful, and a bother to society.

Levy, et al. (2002) studied the effects of internalising negative stereotypes of ageing (i.e. negative self-perception of ageing) and discovered that it reduced the life expectancy of older adults by more than seven years. Moreover, they showed that such beliefs had a bigger impact on survival and longevity than gender, socioeconomic status, loneliness, and functional health.

But most negative ideas about ageing are based on ideological analysis of politicians who try to justify their failed policies. And it’s the result of years of mismanagement and wrong approaches to healthcare and the well-being of the community that have often involved social exclusion and inequalities in later stages of life.

To refute such negative ideas, Zweifel, Felder and Werblow (2004) successfully argued that population ageing could not considerably impact health care expenditure. Later Rechel, et al. (2009) reinforced this positive view in their report for World Health Organisation (WHO) by iterating that while expenditure on long-term care is certain to increase with the ageing of the population, its effects on health care expenditure is doubtful or insignificant. They showed that if appropriate measures are implemented in time, population ageing does not necessarily lead to higher health care expenditure.

Living longer is an excellent thing, and I agree with many scientists (K Zweifel, Felder & Werblow, 2004; Doyle, et al., 2009; Kendig & Browning, 2016) who have shown we can afford our ageing population. They questioned the claim that the ageing population pose a fundamental threat to the sustainability of welfare states. And argued we could adopt policies that could accommodate ageing populations without abandoning the social solidarity that has existed so far.

They also established that developing better social and health strategies will improve our ageing population's mental and physical capacities. It just needs a little imagination and a positive approach, as reflected on the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) mission that envisions a world with healthier older people whose rights and choices are protected and respected.

IFA is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) with a membership base that include governments, NGOs, industry, academia, and individuals in 70 countries. IFA is the global point of connection and network of experts who try to influence and shape age-related policies that improve the lives of older people.

Positive Psychology and Ageing

Some people dread to think about old age, and rightly so, as there are many examples of people who face severe hardship, sickness, idleness, rejection, and loneliness after retirement. When we reflect on getting old, even the thought of these issues makes us flinch.

Although the potential pitfalls of old age cannot be fully averted, and obviously, there are challenges ahead (Vita et al., 1998); but, there are new possibilities too that can make our lives worth living, exciting and productive throughout the older years of our lives.

Geriatrics, a well-known branch of medicine and social science, focuses on the adverse effects of ageing and the unique needs of older people. But many researchers believe that while lots of effort has understandably been spent on the negative aspects of ageing, the positive sides of ageing that are sources of vitality and happiness have been overlooked. They have explored successful scenarios concentrated on the positive attributes of ageing and highlighted the techniques and policies that can help us develop more resilience, strength and a sense of fulfilment and control despite the challenges associated with old age (Bowling, 1993; Ranzijn, 2002).

Collectively, these techniques are referred to as; Positive Ageing (also; ageing well, healthy ageing, or successful ageing), which is a concept promoted by World Health Organisation (2015). Positive ageing signifies better choices we can make for the later period of our lives and allows us to live our old age happily, productively and delightfully. It is a constructive view of growing old which accepts ageing as a continuous and normal process of life for everyone (Kendig & Browning, 2016).

Nowadays, positive ageing is viewed as an important goal for health organisations, health care professionals, and older people. The concept has grown into a multidisciplinary approach which includes social factors that emphasise societal opportunities and public responses that allow older adults experience a better life (Kendig & Browning, 2016).

In short, the positive ageing movement strives to create a society for all ages that prepares for and celebrates the ageing process. It supports people of all ages to achieve their full potential and respects older adults’ engagement in economic, social, cultural and family life. It fosters better solidarity between generations to create a society where all people's rights, independence, participation, care, self-actualisation and dignity are the prime objectives.

It's important to note that there is a difference between normal ageing changes and illnesses with different medical causes that may become more serious because of old age. Normal ageing is a gradual process and brings changes that are not necessarily painful or dangerous. These may include thinning and greying our hair, stiffness of our joints, or a slight decline in cognitive speed and memory performance (Christensen, 2001). But if changes are quick, unexpected, and painful, they could have causes other than ageing.

Well-being and Older Adults

Well-being is mostly a subjective appraisal of how people experience their lives (Huppert & Cooper, 2014). As a positive psychological concept, well-being is not just the absence of disorder or disease but a condition conducive to flourishing and growth (Huppert & Cooper, 2014).

In this respect, flourishing is defined as a state of optimum functioning and enduring satisfaction where people experience positivity, fitness, resilience and growth. In contrast, languishing is a situation where someone’s life is wrecked by negativity, poor health, deterioration and emptiness (Keyes, 2002; Ekman et al., 2005; Fredrickson & Losada, 2005).

However, when we discuss ageing, the important point is the perception of older adults about their well-being. A concept that Ryff (1989) studied and revealed that positive relationships, self-efficacy, self-compassion, self-awareness, accepting change and having a sense of humour are among the highest preferred criteria for successful ageing.

Actions on Positive Ageing

Evidence and ideas on ageing-well are being championed by researchers and organisations who particularly respect older people’s views about their welfare. Research has suggested many priorities and recommended societal actions for achieving positive ageing. Such actions should be viewed as an essential investment in an ageing community and could be implemented at the level of individuals, organisations or societies.

Individuals are advised to keep a positive attitude, stay active and connected, have a healthy diet, and refrain from smoking (Haveman‐Nies, de Groot & van Staveren, 2003). However, despite a great deal of positive rhetoric, policy-making and effective actions at organisational and societal levels have been fairly limited.

Nonetheless, the designation of 2012 as the European Year of Active Ageing offered a potential focus for renewed policy and increased action on positive ageing in Europe. Since then, there has been more interest in the notion of age-friendly communities, and more organisations consider ageing as a positive process. This new discourse on ageing has redirected policy discussions from economic or welfare issues to matters of social inclusion, engagement and community development (Lui, et al., 2009; Walker & Maltby, 2012).

Brain Plasticity and Ageing

Fortunately, many scientific discoveries support positive approaches to ageing. One important finding is the discovery of brain plasticity in adults, which has been successfully used (among other things) to overcome the symptoms of sensory-motor disorders and brain injuries.

Plasticity is defined as the quality or the capacity to be shaped or moulded. In biology, plasticity is the flexibility of an organism to change to adjust to its environment or the long-term circumstances of its life.

Brain plasticity or neuroplasticity is a term that describes changes to the brain throughout our lives. This contrasts with the earlier belief that the brain only develops in childhood and then remains relatively unchanged. Research has shown that many aspects of the brain are plastic, i.e., can be altered, even into adulthood (Rakic, 2002; Pascual-Leone, et al., 2005).

Our brains are not hard-wired with fixed neuronal circuits. Brain circuits rewire, often as a response to lifestyle, training or injury. Besides, there is strong evidence that neurogenesis (or the birth of brain cells) also happens in adults and can continue well into old age. One principle underlying neuroplasticity is that neural connections are constantly being removed or constructed, largely due to the nature of activities of the neurons (i.e., what we mostly do).

Brain plasticity has been utilised to alleviate chronic pains and enable patients to use prosthetic devices as a normal extension of their body (including the effective use of artificial hearing and seeing devices). And there is promising evidence that older adults can also benefit from brain plasticity to reduce age-related cognitive decline through education, leisure activities, intellectual engagements and learning new skills (Kramer, et al., 2004; Vance, et al.,,, 2008).

Please contact Reza if you have any question about this topic, or want to leave a comment.

References

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