The perspectives on successful aging among the older adults : A descriptive literature review

Background: Aging increases the focus on successful aging. Successful aging has become a prominent paradigm of aging, but the perspectives and definitions of successful aging among elderly are quite lacking.Aim: To describe the perspectives on successful aging among the older adults.Methods: This research is a descriptive literature review. In PubMed database, search terms such as "successful aging" were used to retrieve English articles published in the last decade, and 11 of them were selected. The author analyzed the definitions and viewpoints of the elderly on successful aging in the literature, as well as classified and summarized the extracted contents.Results: Our research has identified three main themes associated with successful aging: 1) physiology, 2) psychology, and 3) social support systems. Eleven sub topics include: physical health, cognitive functioning, acceptance and adaptation, positive attitudes, spirituality. Social participation/engagement, financial security, family support, educational support, social and government support, environmental support.Conclusions: The study provided a deeper understanding of successful aging in older adults. Successful aging is a dynamic, continuous process of adaptation and adjustment. To some extent, older people with disabilities can be successfully aging.Keywords: definition, older adults, perspective, successful agin