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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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The potential of older adults to enhance community quality of life
— links between positive psychology and productive aging | | Author(s) | Rob Ranzijn |
| Journal title | Ageing International, vol 27, no 2, Spring 2002 |
| Pages | pp 30-55 |
| Keywords | Ageing process ; Quality of life ; Well being ; Literature reviews. |
| Annotation | Productive ageing refers to the contributions of older people to their own welfare and that of their communities and society as a whole. However, quality of life research tends to view ageing people as recipients of external influences rather than as active agents operating in context. Yet quality of life and subjective well-being can be regarded as functions of the extent of fit between person and environment, a fit that can be improved by enhancing personal abilities. This paper combines recent empirical work on productive ageing with concepts from the emerging science of positive psychology, to illustrate the potential of the person-environment fit concept to enhance the ability of older people to contribute to society and improve the quality of life of the whole community. It is argued that older people have unique talents in the realms of community development and citizenship. A paradigm shift in attitudes to older people is required that perceives them as a resource rather than a burden. Proactive ageing can enhance an older person's quality of life, and by extension the quality of life of the whole community. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-020905206 A |
| Classmark | BG: F:59: D:F:5HH: 64A |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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