Yossi Meystel on Successful Aging
Over the past two decades, the idea of successful aging has gained increasing attention given the exponential growth in the older adult population. Criteria and definitions within multiple disciplines vary greatly in Western literature. In psychiatric literature, the most commonly mentioned psychological characteristics of the elderly are: decline in creative and productive thinking, reduced adaptation to new situations, decline in concentration, memory, and attention, and lack of motivation. However, recent studies show that aging does not necessarily mean the loss of capacity and occurrence of deficits and that the so-called "degradation processes" can be prevented or at least mitigated, while the most important role is to establish a healthier lifestyle and disease prevention. As an important figure of the US nursing scene, Yossi Meystel provides community leadership and opinions on aging-related topics. With his community service, action, and social justice efforts, h