Successful Aging Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Successful Aging - Term Paper Example However, there is a positive side to growing old, or aging. As people age, particularly adults, they decline in mobility, cognition and senses at paces that vary from person to person, thus, to ensure that people age successfully, there is a need to reduce the rate of decline or even curb it completely. This is to ensure that they do not become functionless and maintain their independence from second and third party caretakers (Tyrer et al, 2). Mobility issues are common in aging people because they lose balance and suffer reduced functionality in basic of tasks such as locking and unlocking doors. As a result, they become more prone to risks of falling and common mobility accidents. These falls often lead to death as they rank high among the most common causes of death for elderly people (Tyrer et al, 2). In addition, cognitive processes suffer impairment in regard to recalling instructions and following complex ideas, as well as solving problems. However, to overcome all these challenges, various measures exist to ensure that people grow old gracefully. Successful aging is known to be associated with one’s religious beliefs, social relationships, perceived health, self-efficacy, socio-economic status and coping skills (Galligan 1). Having religious beliefs and participating actively in religious activities is one of the ways to age successfully. This is because religiosity in the aging process allows the elderly to cope better as compared to nonreligious ones. In the process, it aids in overcoming emotional and physical problems through which the elderly may be experiencing (Galligan 1). Moreover, active participation in religious issues prevents most manners of depression as it puts people of similar interests in a position to share ideas and problems. As a result, it eradicates feelings of hopelessness due to the reality of age dawning on them. Moreover, this religiosity promotes the development of positive emotions , which, in