Successfully aging elderly (SAE): A short overview of some important aspects of successful aging

Abstract

Whether one falls into the category of successfully aging elderly (SAE) is generally determined by biological, medical, psychological, and cognitive factors. SAE, pathological aging and usual aging, are the three subgroups presented in the seminal science paper by Rowe & Kahn in 1987. SAE is currently vaguely defined as being free of disease, having preserved cognitive function and an active life, but a more detailed definition is lacking. As a result, the research on SAE is heterogeneous and hard to summarize. Nevertheless, it is clear that genetics, health, basic aging mechanisms, brain changes, cognition early in life, education level, lifestyle factors, subjective factors, the availability of societal health care, environmental factors, and any interaction between all these variables, are important. There are also methodological difficulties associated with studies of causal relationships across the lifespan. Obtaining a detailed understanding of SAE research will be a challenging task for future researchers.