We described social aging as an undeniable fact of life in previous post. We mentioned that the role and the relationship of people change as they get older. Sociologists came up with different theories to explain why this dynamic change is happening. Exploration of these theories let us know perception of each society toward elderly and more essentially, lead us to elaborate further on best practices of having successful aging. This is exactly the main topic that we cover in this post from social perspective. What are the main factors to a successful aging?
This question may look simple with obvious answers. The first points come to our mind are healthy diet, physical activities, enough sleep, cognitive functionality and psychological well-being. All of mentioned points are valid and correct. Considering each old person as an individual, these personal supports are necessary to help them live longer with less disease. But, there is one main social factor plays key role in successful aging beside of personal supports which is engagement in life.
Engagement in life reflects a wish to retain a role in society and being involved with people. Social functioning includes social activity and giving emotional and instrumental support to others. This can be done in various ways such as involvement in voluntary work, participating in a social club or contacting with…
