A Self-Reliant Umbrella: Defining Successful Aging Among the Old-Old (80+) in Shanghai

Abstract

The Chinese old-old (80+) population has steadily increased in recent years; however, limited studies have examined how this group ages. The purpose of this study is to explore how the old-old in urban China define successful aging. Guided by grounded theory, we conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with community-dwelling old-old participants (N = 97). Participants identified self-reliance as the goal of successful aging, which was supported by four proactive behaviors: physical activity, financial security, community connectedness, and willing acceptance of reality. In our model, we conceptualized these four proactive behaviors to constitute the ribs of an umbrella, supporting a canopy to protect the pole of self-reliant successful aging. This study offers new understanding of the dynamic and nuanced ways that the old-old in urban China age successfully and of their valiant efforts to maintain self-reliance.

Determinants of healthy ageing: a systematic review of contemporary literature

“…Nine studies that reported frameworks of healthy ageing were included in the review (Fig. 1) [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21].…”

“…All studies were found to be of high quality according to the CASP Checklist for qualitative studies and the NOS for cross-sectional studies (Supplementary Table 2, Supplementary Table 3). Five qualitative studies did not adequately report the relationship between the researcher and the participants [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. Two cross-sectional studies did not report the comparability between respondents and non-respondents [13,18].…”

“…The total number of participants in this review was of 2407, ranging from 11 to 683 participants in individual studies (Table 1). Most studies had a sample size greater than 100, and were predominantly conducted in Asia [13][14][15][16]. Eight studies were carried out on both genders and one was solely on females.…”

“…The determinant of outlook/attitude, found in seven studies, ties into self-awareness [15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. Amosun et al divided their findings into two overarching themes, one focused on participants found to have future-oriented behaviour and the second for participants without a future-oriented behaviour [21].…”

“…All studies included social determinants of successful healthy ageing [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. Three main determinants (Social Support, Financial Security, Community Engagement) were identified for the social domain.…”