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, he is hoping to help provide a framework for the development of global, national, and local strategies relating to population aging.

Old age is commonly portrayed as a period of inactivity and dependency while, on the other, often simultaneously, older people are viewed as a social and economic resource. Successful aging contradicts the “decline and loss paradigm” commonly associated with the consequences of physical decline and emphasizes the active roles older people occupy in society. But more importantly, it highlights the need for a distinction between notions of activity and passivity, where being active includes the need for activities designed to ensure the protection, dignity, and care of older people. A successful aging approach has the potential to enable people to respond successfully to the challenges of population aging because of its comprehensive focus and emphasis on societal as well as individual responsibility. In Yossi Meystel’s opinion, a successful aging dialogue should focus on encouraging the participation of older adults in society and emphasize the competence and knowledge that older people possess.

There is a wide global variation in the terms used to encapsulate the notion of successful aging. In order not to overemphasize physical activity to the neglect of mental capacity and over-idealize a productive model of active aging, healthcare executive Yossi Meystel suggests leaving room for alternative lifestyles and definitions of activity and allowing older people themselves to be more closely involved in determining what role successful aging could play in their lives.