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Letter to the Editor| Volume 19, ISSUE 1, P90-92, January 2018

Successful Ageing in Nonagenarians: Bio-psychosocial Factors Determining Successful Ageing in Long-Lived Older Adults

Published:November 21, 2017DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2017.10.015
      In their seminal paper, Rowe and Kahn defined successful aging as having 3 main components: limited disease and disease-related disability, high cognitive and physical functional capacity, and active engagement with life.
      • Rowe J.W.
      • Kahn R.L.
      Human aging: Usual and successful.
      Nonagenarians represent a unique and relevant catchment group to conduct research on successful aging.
      • Nosraty L.
      • Sarkeala T.
      • Hervonen A.
      • Jylhä M.
      Is there successful aging for nonagenarians? The vitality 90+ study.
      Much of the prevailing literature focuses mainly on longevity per se rather than attributes that promote healthy aging and well-being in a group that has attained exceptional longevity.
      • Michel J.P.
      • Sadana R.
      “Healthy aging” concepts and measures.
      Because biomedical constructs of successful aging that place an undue focus on absence of disease as criteria may not be the most relevant and applicable in the oldest-old, there is a need for an integrated multidimensional concept.
      • Young Y.
      • Frick K.D.
      • Phelan E.A.
      Can successful aging and chronic illness coexist in the same individual? A multidimensional concept of successful aging.
      A recent article of successful aging among nonagenarians concluded that age-sensitive approaches would help us better understand factors that promote aging successfully among long-lived individuals.
      • Nosraty L.
      • Sarkeala T.
      • Hervonen A.
      • Jylhä M.
      Is there successful aging for nonagenarians? The vitality 90+ study.
      Using a comprehensive biopsychosocial framework that incorporates biomedical, lifestyle, psychological, and social factors, we aim to determine the factors associated with successful aging among community-dwelling Chinese nonagenarians in Singapore.
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