Active Ageing And Healthy Living

Increased life expectancy and the ageing of the population have been the subject of attention in Western countries, and particularly in Europe, for some years now. The challenge of 'squaring the circle' between ends and means – as well as between personal aspirations and systemic constraints – in health and social care continues to be a major concern for policymakers and all those involved in the delivery of services. This book, Active Ageing and Healthy Living: A Human Centered Approach in Research and Innovation as Source of Quality of Life, presents the results of a number of research projects from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore - the largest private university in Italy and in Europe - with a strong commitment to the areas of medicine and health sciences, economics, business, international relations, political science, psychology and communications. Visions and research directions for the future are also presented and discussed. The introduction to the book addresses the challenges posed by an increasingly ageing population and the way in which multidisciplinary research can contribute to positive outcomes. The remainder of the book is divided into two sections. The first proposes promising research directions for future focus, and includes papers on demographic change; frailty in the elderly; the role of diet in healthy ageing; active ageing; and positive technology. The second section deals with recent developments in research into active ageing and healthy living (AA&HL). It addresses numerous topics, including: mechanisms to shift the balance from unhealthy to healthy ageing; nutrition; the role of ICTs for older people; work, retirement and health; and empowering skills for AA&HL.

The WHO World report on ageing and health is not for the book shelf it is a living breathing testament to all older people who have fought for their voice to be heard at all levels of government across disciplines and sectors. - Mr Bjarne Hastrup President International Federation on Ageing and CEO DaneAge This report outlines a framework for action to foster Healthy Ageing built around the new concept of functional ability. This will require a transformation of health systems away from disease based curative models and towards the provision of older-person-centred and integrated care. It will require the development sometimes from nothing of comprehensive systems of long term care. It will require a coordinated response from many other sectors and multiple levels of government. And it will need to draw on better ways of measuring and monitoring the health and functioning of older populations. These actions are likely to be a sound investment in society's future. A future that gives older people the freedom to live lives that previous generations might never have imagined. The World report on ageing and health responds to these challenges by recommending equally profound changes in the way health policies for ageing populations are formulated and services are provided. As the foundation for its recommendations the report looks at what the latest evidence has to say about the ageing process noting that many common perceptions and assumptions about older people are based on outdated stereotypes. The report's recommendations are anchored in the evidence comprehensive and forward-looking yet eminently practical. Throughout examples of experiences from different countries are used to illustrate how specific problems can be addressed through innovation solutions. Topics explored range from strategies to deliver comprehensive and person-centred services to older populations to policies that enable older people to live in comfort and safety to ways to correct the problems and injustices inherent in current systems for long-term care.

This handbook presents an overview of studies on the relationship of active ageing and quality of life. It addresses the new challenges of ageing from the paradigm of positive ageing (active, healthy and successful) for a better quality of life. It provides theoretical perspectives and empirical studies, including scientific knowledge as well as practical experiences about the good ageing and the quality of later life around the world, in order to respond to the challenges of an aged population. The handbook is structured in 4 sections covering theoretical and conceptual perspectives, social policy issues and research agenda, methods, measurement instrument-scales and evaluations, and lastly application studies including domains and geographical contexts. Chapter 5 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com./div

Explores all aspects of health as men reach middle age and beyond. As they reach middle age, most men begin looking forward to "what's next." They gear up to experience renewed productivity and purpose and are more conscious of their health. A Man's Guide to Healthy Aging is an authoritative resource for them, and for older men, as well. In collaboration with a variety of medical experts, the authors provide a comprehensive guide to healthy aging from a man's perspective. Edward H. Thompson, Jr., and Lenard W. Kaye—a medical sociologist and a gerontologist and social worker—offer invaluable information in four parts: • "Managing Our Lives" describes the actions men can take to stay healthy. Here is information about how to eat well, reduce stress, and stay active for better overall health. • "Mind and Body" considers how physical health and state of mind are connected. It explores sleep, drug and alcohol use, spirituality, and attitudes about appearance—and explains how all of these factors affect mental health. • "Bodily Health" examines how body systems function and what changes may occur as men age. It covers the body from head to toe and reviews how to manage chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart conditions. • "Living with Others" shows the importance of interacting with friends and family. Topics include sexual intimacy, friendship, and caregiving, as well as how men can make the best decisions about end-of-life issues for themselves and their loved ones. Refuting the ageist stereotype that men spend their later years "winding down," this book will help men reinvent themselves once, twice, or more—by managing their health, creating new careers, and contributing their skills and experiences to their communities.

There is a near-universal folk saying that everyone wishes to live a good long life, but no one wishes for old age. More contemporarily, the rock and roll band, Little Feat, sang, "You know that you're over the hill when your mind's making promises your body can't fill. " This book is about the good long life. It is a book about primary prevention strategies in the aging process; it is not about preventing that process. It is not about being old. Instead, it is about the things that individuals - and the helping professionals who provide them with counsel and assistance - can do to prevent the preventable problems of advancing age, and to better manage those changes in functioning that cannot be prevented. In short, it is about extending all our capacities to the fullest so that we can better keep all those promises that we make to ourselves and others. Aging is a life-long process. We focus here on the changes that are taking place in our selves and in our society as we age. In particular, we focus on what we can do to affect these changes by the choices we make and how we live. This book offers primary prevention strategies for mature and older adults, with the recognition that mature adulthood starts as soon as we are old enough to truly appreciate our active role in our own aging processes.

Positive Ageing and Learning from Centenarians evaluates the mechanisms of positive ageing in a uniquely interdisciplinary way to explore the question of how we age and how some people age successfully. Drawing together the findings of recognised longevity researchers from around the world, the book applies an integrated vision to educational and social aspects of human ageing. It examines research into centenarians, and considers most of the disciplines related to longevity and healthy aging and aspects such as education, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, demography, sociology, economics as well as those related to nutrition and biological factors of longevity. The book examines how the results of these scientific investigations could improve the well-being of the oldest olds in the future, especially in the context of ageing societies. It provides an answer to the question of what we can learn from centenarians and what lessons we can from their lifestyle, which can contribute to live longer, better and happier. Based on cutting-edge research, the book will be highly relevant reading for researchers, academics and students in the field of ageing and longevity, mental health research, health science, gerontology and psychology.

This book demonstrates the efficacy of a multidisciplinary intervention strategy for promoting active and healthy ageing, with the assistance of dedicated technological resources. Taking an applied approach, this book promotes active and healthy ageing through the implementation of an intervention model based on the comprehensive geriatric approach (AGA). The proposed AGA model, entitled AGA@4life, is based on a holistic and multidisciplinary individual assessment protocol, with the consequent design and implementation of intervention strategies tailored to each individual, aimed at preventing frailty and functional, cognitive and social decline of the elderly. Intervention actions focus on personalized exercise programs, nutrition education, cognitive stimulation, co-morbidity monitoring, therapeutic counselling, and overall promotion of well-being. This book will be of interest to researchers, professionals, and students working in ageing and health, gerontology, and preventative and holistic approaches to well-being.

Martha Stewart’s engaging handbook for living your healthiest life after 40—with expertise from doctors and specialists on eating, exercise, wellness, home, and organizing, as well as caring for others. Martha Stewart’s Living the Good Long Life is a practical guide unlike any other: honest and upbeat, with clear and motivating charts, resources, and tips from doctors and wellness specialists. From the best ways to organize your home to protecting your mental well-being and appearance as you age, this book gives accessible ideas that you can incorporate every day. And when it’s time to explore caregiving for others, you’ll know how to enrich their quality of life while preventing your own fatigue. Martha’s 10 Golden Rules for Successful Aging provide a framework for chapters that cover your changing needs with every decade, including: -Healthy Eating: Stock a healthy pantry for your dietary needs. -Healthy Fitness: Stand strong on your feet by increasing your balance, endurance, and flexibility. -A Healthy Brain: Stimulate new brain activity to prevent memory loss. -A Healthy Outlook: Maintain a sense of daily purpose by strengthening social connections. -Healthy Living Every Day: Medicate wisely while paying attention to aches and pains. -Healthy Looks: Take care of your skin and match your makeup to your age. -Healthy Home: Create a home that is a reflection of how you want to live. -Healthy Living into the Future: Be your own wellness CEO to prevent future illness. -Healthy Caring: Prepare for helping others while caring for yourself, and much more! Healthy living begins with establishing small habits, and with Living the Good Long Life you’ll have a dependable source for thriving in your 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond. "In my Foundation’s health initiatives—and in my own life—I’ve seen again and again how even small measures to improve your health can make a big difference. Living the Good Long Life is full of simple ideas that can be incorporated into daily routines to help you feel better and keep on doing what you love." —President Bill Clinton "For thirty years, Martha Stewart has carefully coached us on how to take care of our homes, our menus, our crafts. And now in Living the Good Long Life, she has brought her brilliant skills to the mission of helping us take care of ourselves. With sparkling prose, no-nonsense instruction, and, as always, oceans of wisdom, Martha implores readers not to recoil from their advancing years, but to embrace and celebrate them—with invaluable tips on keeping our diets healthy, our bodies pumping, and our outlook forever sunny. I just loved this book." —Marlo Thomas