Advancing Research on Active Aging and Participation

This book covers the central aspects of Advancing Research on Active Aging and Participation, illustrating how individuals can prepare for old age and promote their own well-being.

The increase in the aging population has been foreseen for a long time. Traditionally, aging is considered to comprise progressive decline of health and social life, stemming from biased selection of predominantly negative outcomes in studies. However, changes in the life stage of old age have been so rapid that the general perception of growing old has become somewhat outdated. There is an evident need for a multidisciplinary work that describes aging and old age based on the latest knowledge. Dealing with aging in all areas of society should be based on knowledge, not assumptions.

This book provides up-to-date information on how aging can be studied and how modern times are reshaping it. Besides, it demonstrates how a more positive approach in aging research will structure the ideas and alleviate the prejudices we have about aging and old age. The book is intended for students and professionals in the social, leisure and health care fields at universities. It can also be adopted for education in the fields of physical education, medicine, and psychology. Additionally, individuals working in the field of health, functional ability, physical activity, rehabilitation, mental health, and well-being of the aging population will benefit from this work.

Explores the positive consequences of longevity of individuals and population Presents a life-course approach Based on studies that the author led on activity and functioning of older people

Autorentext

Taina Rantanen, PhD, is a full Professor of Gerontology and Public Health at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Previously she worked in the National Institute on Aging in the USA and in the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva. She has led several path-breaking studies about older people's health, functioning, physical activity and life-space mobility. In 2016, she received a prestigious ERC advanced grant to study active aging. Professor Rantanen holds several expert positions in the academia and is a member of editorial boards of several prestigious scientific journals in the field of gerontology. In 2021 she was inaugurated in the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. She has received several honours for her contribution to the aging research. Professor Rantanen has been instrumental in administrative leadership and educating new successful professionals and academics, and has developed a strong interdisciplinary research tradition expanding the aging research into new fields.

Inhalt

1. Overview.- 2. Five considerations for studying active aging and functioning .- 3. Aging and health research designs and central concepts.- 4. Theoretical approaches to aging research.- 5. Active Aging .- 6. Functional capacity, activities and participation.- 7. Promoting engagement in meaningful activities.- 8. Fostering functional capacity.- 9. Life course influences on growing old and healthy aging.- 10. Work as active aging.