A Comprehensive Overview of Active and Healthy Aging: Incorporating Education and Physical Activity

Abstract

: Elderly individuals are adults who are often treated like children and, even worse, as numbers. Physical and mental degeneration is to some extent an inevitable occurrence. The problem that is not yet solved by biology and medicine lies in the acceleration of decay and the severity of certain pathologies. There is a relationship between the health of the elderly and their previous lifestyles, current social conditions, network of emotional relationships, and their personality structure. The organization and culture of society, still shaped by the principles of modernity, are the second major obstacle to the well-being of the elderly. On the one hand, the elderly face difficulties due to the organization of cities, transportation, housing structures, services, and families. On the other hand, the elderly’s condition is hindered by mental images, prejudices, ethical principles, cultural stereotypes, or by a social organization and culture modelled on the healthy, productive, reproductive adult male inserted into a family unit. The aim of this essay is reviewing the literature on AHA (active and healthy ageing), analyse the theoretical models and definitions, explore related normative terms and concepts, and create a comprehensive thematic overview of what constitutes AHA’s dimensions, attributes, antecedents, and consequences.