Perceptions of Successful Aging in Black Older Adults

Abstract

Successful aging is important; however, there is a lack of knowledge on how to promote successful aging in Black older adults. In this study, which examined Black older adults' perceptions of successful aging, a cross-sectional descriptive design was used to examine the psychometric properties of the Successful Aging Inventory and qualitative characteristics of successful aging in 100 Black older adults. The participants' responses to an open-ended question, "What does successful aging mean to you?" revealed relevant aspects of successful aging. Six broad categories emerged: Independence/Ability, Health, Mindset, Activity/Service, Family, and Spirituality. These categories suggest foci for potential interventions to promote successful aging in Black older adults.

‘I am busy independent woman who has sense of humor, caring about others’: older adults’ self-representations in online dating profiles

“…Central to their self-descriptions was the message that they were ‘busy bodies’ (Katz 2000: 142) who were ‘continuously on the move’ (Hasmanová Marhánkova 2011: 22) and ready to ‘play hard’ (Calasanti and King 2005: 10) with a suitable mate. As such, their self-presentations reflected societal interpretations of ideal ageing (Bassett, Bourbonnais and McDowell 2007; Iwamasa and Iwasaki 2011; Phelan et al 2004; Reichstadt et al 2007, 2010; Troutman, Nies and Mavellia 2011) as the older adults actively distanced themselves from ageist stereotypes that position later life as a time of frailty, decline and dependence (Laslett 1996). In so doing, their self-presentations strategically highlighted their optimal health as capital (Bourdieu 1990), giving them an advantage over potential rivals and making them more attractive to potential partners, because the status of being able-bodied signifies social power and bestows prestige on those who are healthy and capable of enjoying an active lifestyle (Edwards and Imrie 2003).…”

The Impact of Genetics on Physical Resilience and Successful Aging

“…Since the early conceptualizations of successful aging, there has been a transition from a focus on the absence of disease or disability to one in which successful aging is determined based on the perspective of the older adult (Flood, 2006; McCarthy, 2009). Others have combined objective and subjective information to evaluate successful aging (Flood, Nies, & Seo, 2010; Lewis, 2011; McLaughlin, Connell, Heeringa, Li, & Roberts, 2010; Pruchno, Wilson-Genderson, & Cartwright, 2010; Troutman, Nies, & Mavellia, 2011; Troutman, Nies, Small, & Bates, 2011). Objective indicators included such things as engagement in meaningful activities and maintenance of functional ability.…”

Reconceptualizing Successful Aging Among Black Women and the Relevance of the Strong Black Woman Archetype

“…Understanding that the more conventional definition of successful aging focuses on the maintenance of physical and cognitive health (Andresen & Brownson, 2000;McKinnon & Bennett, 2005), scholars have begun to redefine what it means to age successfully, thereby placing less emphasis on health outcomes and more on the social and cultural factors that promote well-being (e.g., independence, spirituality, activity, service to others, and generativity) (Troutman, Nies, & Mavellia, 2011;Versey & Newton, 2013). These areas of interest reconceptualizes the idea of successful aging for black women, particularly as it relates to the critical roles independence and spirituality have in many black communities (Cernin, Lysack, & Lichtenberg, 2011;Parker et al, 2002;Romo et al, 2012;Troutman et al, 2011). Identifying existing theories addressing these constructs is only one step to understanding their influence on how diverse race groups age.…”