Backdrop:

The decade of 2021 to 2030 has been declared by the UN as the one of “healthy aging”. The idea is to promote global consciousness about importance of “healthy aging” for about one billion of elderly population across the globe. The more important aspect is that majority of the older people are living in developing parts of the world where the social security is, by and large, grossly inadequate. Despite best intention of the governments, resource crunch is a perennial problem. Number of NGOs working exclusively for the cause of elderly population across the globe is also not large. The WHO call for building “collaborative communities for all generations” did not have many takers. The elders and more particularly the poorer section among them are, therefore, left to themselves to devise strategy for a continued sustainable life.

Active Aging:

It is in this context that active aging becomes crucial. Research has often established that there is a significant correlation between “active aging” and “healthy aging”. In a society where the elders need to take care of themselves, they need to be strong and agile. The conceptual edifice of the word “active aging” is that elders need to be “constantly active while they become advanced in age”. The word active here spans three (3) different aspects:

1. Physically active: Elders need to keep themselves physically active through regular work outs, exercises including walk, following positive routines, and undertaking other regular physical activities like going out to do purchase of medicines / household goods, attending marriage functions / conferences / workshops, traveling to see new destinations, being to religious places, etc. Fundamental premise is that being physically active is the starting point of every consequent thing in life. If we are physical “not agile”, it becomes difficult for us to be “happy”. Barring the unintentional onset of diseases like Parkinson’s / Osteoarthritis or falls or accidents, etc., every elder must try to keep up the routine and be physically active. Life may slow down but still we should be active, to the extent possible.

• Mentally active: The second crucial dimension is mental strength. This is at the core of all aging processes as emotional, mental, and psychological stability / balance is primary enabler of any response in life. If we lose the mental balance, that is the beginning of ushering of life into a meaningless zone. While onset of dreadful diseases like Dementia or Alzheimer’s cannot be prevented, all elders should try to keep their mental faculties agile by conscious & mentally stimulating activities. They should keep their mental curiosity updated by learning new things or solving simple puzzles / quizzes or playing games like chess, etc. All these activities will keep them mentally active. Being mentally agile is at the core to understand and experience the concept of happy aging.

• Socially active: Third and the final dimension to active ageing is that the elders keep themselves socially connected and active. We see many elderly people suffering from sense of loneliness and depression, being away from active professional life and children. This mental aloofness creates a long-penetrating self-isolation syndrome totally contrarian to happy aging. Being socially connected and active is key to solving many mental & psychological issues.

Mix of All Three Parameters:

It is ideal to have all the three (3) faculties active for a happy aging. For 2^nd or 3^rd generations of elders (from age of 60 to 70), this may be an ideal proposition. However, as age sets in and physical / mental faculties start giving way, it is difficult in real life. From a psychological perspective, we always feel and believe that every elder must have the “mental strength” to carry on despite all odds. If we have that mental resolve, the world of pain being on loom, we still will be able to counter the wave and feel ourselves in a world of “happy aging”. The family members, friends, senior citizen associations / clubs, caregivers, student volunteers all come into play at different stages of life of an elder and they help them to age happily by offering their accommodating services / companionship. However, to large extent, it is the strength within that plays a greater role. We have seen some of our members succumbing to pressure of loneliness and withdrawing to seclusion while being physically active. On the other hand, there are members who, despite facing severe crisis in life (loss of spouse / children or facing serious physical problems), come out of the gloom with a strong sense of resilience and continue living their life happily.

Conclusion:

That is the essence of life. It is full of happiness as well as sorrows. But the axiom remains: “If winter comes, can spring be far behind”. All difficulties will be followed with some incidents of happiness and vice versa, as life averages out. Therefore, “strong physical strength”, “determined mental resolve” and “extensive social connections” will help an elder to overcome the problems of life and enable him / her to have happy aging. Absence of anyone of these might become a dampener. Life is a journey, and it has to be traversed despite all difficulties. Old age has its own challenges. What is needed is to make every phase of life journey as smooth as possible. The three (3) dimensions talked above will possibly help an elderly to enjoy the journey of life through happy aging.