What Does it Mean to Age Well?

What matters to you as you age? The answer is not the same for everyone. Yet many ideas are shared by most people. Over the years, experts in aging have defined “successful aging” in various ways. Older views emphasized being free from illness or disability. However, this is not a realistic goal for everyone. Even thinking about being “successful” is not very useful.

Newer ideas focus on what helps us feel engaged with life, every day. Each of us needs to have a sense of purpose, even if that purpose changes through retirement, kids leaving the home (or coming back), changes in health and abilities, or losses of loved ones.

Each of us needs connections with people we care about—and people who care about us—even if our families and social networks change over time.

How do you adapt to changes?

In fact, resilience—the ability to flow with life’s changes—is a key to aging well. How do you adapt if you develop an illness or disability? Or if you run into a financial challenge or need to move to a new home? As our health, families, work, living environments, and social networks change, we are challenged to respond.

“No one is immune to the challenges of aging,” says Jennifer Schrack in the Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazineopens a new window, but she says that we can accept our changing circumstances. We can find new ways to adapt and find satisfaction at every stage of living.

Aging without fear

Our society places pressure on us to stay young, look young, and act young. But we are not all young, and every stage of life has its rewards. Schrack comments, “Aging is not something to be feared. It is not a disease.” Older adults have enjoyed years of experiences, and many have refined their life skills, insights, and wisdom accordingly. It is fair to take pride in that.

Later in this blog series, we’ll explore attitudes towards aging and older adults. Spoiler alert: You can choose to reject any “old person” stereotypes you encounter. Keeping a positive mindset around aging supports your health and helps you age well!

What’s important?

Aging specialists have theorized about aging well and have also asked many older adults what is important to them as they age. Many of us value:

• Remaining independent and in control of our lives
• Connecting with others
• Doing something that is important to us
• Enjoying creative or fun activities
• Staying active and productive in meaningful ways
• Feeling satisfied and engaged with life
• Having financial security
• Enjoying personal growth & learning new things
• Having the best possible physical, mental, cognitive, and spiritual health

How this picture comes together is influenced by the sum total of circumstances in your life so far. These can include things like your family, your upbringing, your social circles, your economic situation, your environment, education, and access to healthcare through the years. Aging doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Some factors may be beyond our control. Others are not. Each of us has a unique background. Each of us can chart our own path forward to aging well.

A focus on wellness

Throughout our lives, we make choices that affect our well-being. To age well, we can think about wellness, taking control to build a personal approach to well-being. Health experts recognize eight dimensions of wellness:

• Hawkins, B. A. (2005). Aging well: toward a way of life for all people. Prev Chronic Dis.
• Bowling, A. & Dieppe, P. (2005). What is successful aging and who should define it? British Medical Journal.
• National Institute on Aging (2022). What do we know about healthy aging?opens a new window
• Stowe, J.D. & T. M. Cooney (2015). Examining Row and Kahn’s concept of successful aging: importance of taking a life course perspective. The Gerontologist.
• Waddell, C. et al. (2024). From successful ageing to ageing well: a narrative review. The Gerontologist.
• Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging (2024). Age Well.