Moral Flourishing in Later Life Through Purpose Beyond the Self

2020 ◽  
pp. 439-458
Author(s):  
Anne Colby ◽  
Matthew Bundick ◽  
Kathleen Remington ◽  
Emily Morton
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Good Health ◽  
National Sample ◽  
The Self ◽  
Missed Opportunities ◽  
Deep Well

This chapter considers several conceptions of successful aging, analyzing the morally relevant aspects of these models and their missed opportunities to illuminate moral flourishing in older adults. The authors review evidence that engagement with self-transcendent goals and contributions enhances deep well-being for older people, as well as contributing to the well-being of others and the common good. They briefly report their own research on purpose beyond the self, which indicates that almost one-third of a US national sample of older people is purposeful and that purpose in later life doesn’t require economic or educational privilege or even good health. The authors suggest that the moral development field should explore ways to expand conceptions of positive aging to take account of moral dimensions of flourishing and extend insights about moral maturity into the later stages of life.

scholarly journals HOW AN INDIVIDUAL’S SENSE OF CONTROL INFLUENCES THEIR PERCEPTION OF SUCCESSFUL AGING

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S341-S341
Author(s):  
Alexandra P Harris ◽  
Alexandria Nuccio ◽  
Ashely M Stripling
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Sense Of Control ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
The Us ◽  
Demographic Correlates ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Factors like physiology, mental health, personal resources, and social support have been identified to contribute to perceived successful aging (Cosco, Prina, Perales, Stephan & Brayne, 2015); however, sense of control’s role in these relationships remains underexplored. Studying the impact of sense of control is crucial, given that many factors associated with well-being are correlated with later life success. The current study investigates associations among sense of control and constructs known to define successful aging. The data was derived from the Survey of Midlife in the US database (MIDUS3). Participants were primarily Caucasian (88.7%) and female (54.9%) with a mean age of 63.64 years (SD=11.35). A series of hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that sense of control impacts physical health (F = 87.734, p<0.001), depression (F =43.944, p<0.001), anxiety (F =24.680, p<0.001), social actualization (F = 66.450, p<0.001), and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) (F = 135.963, p<0.001) over demographic correlates (i.e., age, sex, and race). The present findings suggest that higher levels of control results in increased comfort in social atmospheres, absence of mood symptoms, good health, and limited issues with IADL. Implications of the current findings include a deeper understanding of how psychological factors, such as sense of control, can impact physical and mental health in order to improve care and promote wellbeing in late life.

Ethical impact of suboptimal referrals on delivery of care in radiology department

2021 ◽  
pp. medethics-2021-107335
Author(s):  
Catherine Chilute Chilanga ◽  
Kristin Bakke Lysdahl
Keyword(s):  
Imaging Modality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Correct Choice ◽  
Radiology Department ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Patient Anxiety ◽  
Missed Opportunities ◽  
Delivery Of Care ◽  
Lack Of Information

The referral is the key source of information that enables radiologists and radiographers to provide quality services. However, the frequency of suboptimal referrals is widely reported. This research reviews the literature to illuminate the challenges suboptimal referrals present to the delivery of care in radiology departments. The concept of suboptimal referral includes information, that is; missing, insufficient, inconsistent, misleading, hard to interpret or wrong. The research uses the four ethical principles of non-maleficence, beneficence, Autonomy and Justice as an analytic framework.Suboptimal referrals can cause harm by hindering safe contrast-media administration, proper radiation protection by justification of procedures, and compassionate patient care. Suboptimal referrals also hinder promoting patient benefits from the correct choice of imaging modality and protocol, an optimal performed examination, and an accurate radiology report. Additionally, patient autonomy is compromised from the lack of information needed to facilitate benefit–risk communication. Finally, suboptimal referrals challenge justice based on lack of reasonable patient prioritising and the unfairness caused by unnecessary examinations.These findings illuminate how suboptimal referrals can inhibit good health and well-being for patients in relation to safety, missed opportunities, patient anxiety and dissatisfaction. The ethical challenges identified calls for solutions. Referral-decision support tools and artificial intelligence may improve referral quality, when implemented. Strategies addressing efforts of radiology professionals are inevitable, including gatekeeping, shared decision-making and inter-professional communication; thereby raising awareness of the importance of good referral quality and promoting commitment to ethical professional conduct.

Innovation in Later Life: A Study of Grandmothers and Facebook

2020 ◽  
pp. 009141502094020
Author(s):  
Mor Yachin ◽  
Galit Nimrod
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Innovation Theory ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
The World ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Set Up

Relying on the Innovation theory of successful aging, this study aims at exploring how grandmothers around the world perceive and use Facebook. Twenty-seven focus groups were set up in seven countries: Canada, Colombia, Israel, Italy, Peru, Romania, and Spain. Participants consisted of 184 grandmothers aged 65 and over who use information and communication technology to some extent. Data were analyzed according to hybrid thematic analysis principles and findings pointed to substantial ambivalence regarding Facebook. Grandmothers who used it reported rather restrained use that was typically triggered externally and characterized by reactive use patterns. Nevertheless, Facebook appeared to promote users’ well-being by supporting preservation of their relationships, roots, and sense of relevance. These findings suggest a new theoretical tenet to innovation theory according to which even “restrained innovation” in later life may be beneficial.

scholarly journals Loneliness as a Biographical Disruption—Theoretical Implications for Understanding Changes in Loneliness

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (9) ◽  
pp. 2029-2039
Author(s):  
Deborah J Morgan ◽  
Vanessa Burholt
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Older People ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Narrative Interviews ◽  
Biographical Disruption ◽  
Stability And Change ◽  
Life Study ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Objectives While a great deal is known about the risk factors that increase vulnerability to loneliness in later life, little research has explored stability and change in levels of loneliness. Methods Narrative interviews were conducted with 11 participants who were identified as being lonely during Wave 1 of the Maintaining Function and Well-being in Later Life Study Wales (CFAS Wales). The interviews were used to explore stability and change in levels of loneliness from the perspective of older people themselves. The interviews focused on participant’s perspectives of the events that triggered loneliness, stability, and change in levels of loneliness over time as well as participant’s responses to loneliness. Results The findings show that participants experienced losses and loneliness as biographical disruption. How participants and their wider social network responded to these losses had implications for the individual’s trajectory through loneliness. Discussion Drawing on a biographical lens, the study reframed the events that triggered loneliness as disruptive events. This article discusses the utility of biographical disruption in understanding stability and change in loneliness. The findings suggest how drawing on valued identities may help lonely adults transition out of loneliness.

Successful Aging, Life Satisfaction, and Generativity in Later Life

1995 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley J. Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Older People ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Basic Needs ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Developmental Task ◽  
Survey Questionnaire

This article explores the meanings older people attach to successful aging and life satisfaction and how these concepts can be differentiated. Forty elderly employees of the Ozarks Area Foster Grandparent Program (ages 61–92) were randomly selected and interviewed using an open-ended survey questionnaire. These questions explored understandings of successful aging and life satisfaction, the factors essential for each, and the differences perceived between these concepts. Qualitative data were coded by two independent reviewers. Respondents' understandings of successful aging involved attitudinal or coping orientations nearly twice as often as those for life satisfaction. Descriptions of life satisfaction emphasized the fulfillment of basic needs and was viewed as a precursor to successful aging. Content analysis confirmed five features of successful aging: interactions with others, a sense of purpose, self-acceptance, personal growth, and autonomy. The findings suggest that generativity contributes to successful aging and remains a vital developmental task in later life.

HIV/AIDS in Later Life

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Sayegh ◽  
David J. Moore ◽  
Pariya Fazeli Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
Successful Aging ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
Everyday Functioning ◽  
Persons Living With Hiv ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
Hiv Aids

Since the first cluster of people with HIV was identified in 1981, significant biomedical advances, most notably the development of antiretroviral therapy (ART), have led to considerably increased life expectancy as well as a reduction in the morbidity and mortality associated with HIV/AIDS. As a result, HIV/AIDS is no longer considered a terminal illness, but rather a chronic illness, and many persons living with HIV/AIDS are beginning to enter or have already reached later life. In fact, Americans ages 50 years and older comprise approximately half of all individuals with HIV/AIDS and represent the most rapidly growing subpopulation of persons living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. Despite significant advances in HIV/AIDS treatment and prognosis, older adults living with HIV (OALH) face a number of unique challenges and circumstances that can lead to exacerbated symptoms and poorer outcomes, despite demonstrating generally better ART adherence than their younger counterparts. These detrimental outcomes are due to both chronological aging and cohort effects as well as social and behavioral factors and long-term ART use. For instance, neurocognitive deficits and neuropsychiatric symptoms, including depression, anxiety, apathy, and fatigue, are often observed among OALH, which can result in feelings of loneliness, social isolation, and reduced social support. Taken together, these factors can lead to elevated levels of problems with everyday functioning (e.g., activities of daily living) among OALH. In addition, sociocultural factors such as race/ethnicity, ageism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, geographic region, socioeconomic status and financial well-being, systemic barriers and disparities, and cultural values and beliefs play an influential role in determining outcomes. Notwithstanding the challenges associated with living with HIV/AIDS in later life, many persons living with HIV/AIDS are aging successfully. HIV/AIDS survivor and community mobilization efforts, as well as integrated care models, have resulted in some significant improvements in overall HIV/AIDS patient care. In addition, interventions aimed at improving successful aging outcomes among OALH are being developed in an attempt to effectively reduce the psychological and physical morbidity associated with HIV disease.

scholarly journals EMOTIONS AND WELL-BEING IN LATER LIFE CHILDHOOD HAPPINESS, SELF-MASTERY, AND LATER-LIFE HEALTH

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S576-S576
Author(s):  
Haena Lee ◽  
Markus H Schafer
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Family Environment ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Living Arrangement ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Self Rated Health

Abstract Considerable work has documented that positive childhood memories, especially childhood happiness, predict better health among young adults. However, it is not known whether growing up happy has enduring health consequences across the life course. Using two waves of the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (2010-2011 and 2015-2016; N = 1,937), we investigate the relationship between childhood happiness and changes in physical, mental, and biological functioning in later life. Childhood happiness was retrospectively assessed using a question: “When I was growing up, my family life was always happy.” Self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and frailty over a five-year period were examined to reflect changes in functional status. Childhood SES and living arrangement were examined to assess childhood sociodemographic background. Educational attainment, family support and strain, and self-mastery were considered as potential mediators. We find that, among other childhood factors, childhood happiness significantly predicts older adult health. Specifically, childhood happiness was associated with better self-rated health and lower depressive symptoms at follow-up, net of baseline health conditions. We did not find a relationship between frailty and childhood happiness. Unlike prior work, we found no significant effect of childhood SES on the measured outcomes. Associations between childhood happiness and self-rated health and depression were mediated by psychosocial resources including self-mastery and perceived social support from family members. This implies that growing up in nurturing, cherished family environment has the potential to cultivate social relationships and build resilience which could provide an important pathway to successful aging.

Reconsidering Change and Continuity in Later Life: Toward an Innovation Theory of Successful Aging

2007 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Galit Nimrod ◽  
Douglas A. Kleiber
Keyword(s):  
Activity Theory ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Aging Process ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Purposive Sample

This article examines the patterns and meanings of innovation in the activities of a group of retirees with an eye toward understanding the place and value of innovation in the aging process. Starting with a consideration of continuity theory, as a perspective that simply describes typical patterns of activity, and activity theory that prescribes expansion of activities as a key to well-being, this article highlights the characteristics, meanings and perceived benefits of a wide variety of innovative activities. The study utilized in-depth semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 20 male and female retirees involved in a “Learning and Retirement” program. Innovations that both preserve a sense of self (internal continuity) as well as those that allow one to strike out in entirely new direction are described, and, using a process of constant comparison, their motivational dynamics are explored. Given previous arguments that activity can be indiscriminate and disintegrative in some circumstances, we nevertheless suggest that innovation can be growth producing and liberating, even in later life, while at the same time generally protecting a sense of internal continuity.

The gendered impact of the National Pension Scheme on late-life economic well-being: evidence from the Korean retirement and income study

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung-Min Park
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Policy Option ◽  
Pension Scheme ◽  
Third Wave ◽  
Content Type ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Economic Well Being

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect of the National Pension Scheme (NPS) on the economic well-being of older people in South Korea. Design/methodology/approach It analyses older people aged 60 and over sampled from the third wave of the Korean retirement and income study. Findings The analysis shows a gendered effect. The NPS is positively associated with the economic well-being of only older men. This gendered impact is probably attributable to the inherent patriarchal structure of the NPS that is based on the strong male bread-winner model. Originality/value The results suggest that promoting the female labour market participation, and also reforming the gender structure of the NPS and South Korean labour market, can be a potential policy option to amend gendered economic well-being in later life.

scholarly journals Give Thanks in All Circumstances? Gratitude Toward God and Health in Later Life After Major Life Stressors

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 465-465
Author(s):  
Laura Upenieks ◽  
Joanne Ford-Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Life Stressors ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Moderation Effect ◽  
Development Framework

Abstract Gratitude is foundational to well-being throughout the life course, and an emerging body of work suggests that older adults may be more inclined to attribute gratitude to a non-human target (God). Drawing on life course theory and Erikson’s lifespan development framework, we use data from a national sample of Christian older adults from the United States (N = 1,005) to examine whether gratitude towards God buffers the noxious health effects of the death of a loved one or personal illness. Results suggest that gratitude towards God tends to predict better age-comparative and global self-rated physical health in the aftermath of stress, a moderation effect which is partially mediated by stronger beliefs in God-mediated control (that God is a collaborative partner in dealing with problems). We conclude by proposing some interventions for clinicians and counselors centered around gratitude and religiosity that may assist older adults in coping with major life stressors.

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