Successful aging in transition: contemplating new realities

Abstract

While the concept of successful aging has been well supported in studies of normal aging processes, there is less evidence of its applicability to adults who have experienced physical limitations following an acute health event. This study was designed to examine what it means to age successfully from the perspective of adults who were transitioning home following an acute health event that led to hospitalisation and an extended stay in a rehabilitation unit. Eleven adults who ranged in age from 53 to 89 years engaged in in-depth qualitative interviews on two occasions. Semi-structured interviews explored definitions of successful aging and resources needed to age successfully. Thematic analysis of the interviews found that meaningful leisure participation was integral to participants' views of successful aging. When participants looked toward the future, they expressed a shared vision of what it means to age successfully that focused on having something meaningful to do and connecting with others. In addition, participants were in a process of actively appraising their current circumstances to identify what personal and external resources they needed and whether adaptations were necessary so they could continue engaging in meaningful activities; these were usually leisure activities. Although the intent of the study was not to examine the influence of leisure activities on successful aging, the concept of leisure was prominent in participants' descriptions of valued activities which they associated with successful aging.

Keywords:

• acute care episode
• leisure activities
• meaningful pursuits
• older adults
• successful aging
• transition

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a grant from the Dalhousie University Research Development Fund for the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty Research Grant. We would like to thank Susan Savage, Manager Restorative Care Unit, South Shore Health and Maria Amero, Manager Restorative Care Unit, Southwest District Health Authority, who made this project a reality by assisting with participant recruitment. In addition, we would like to thank Joanne Newell, Adjunct Lecturer, School of Nursing (Yarmouth Site), Dalhousie University, for the role she played in collecting data and providing feedback on earlier versions of the manuscript, as well as Bojana Nedic who helped prepare the data for coding.