Course Description:

Successful aging refers to physical, mental and social well-being in older age. The concept of successful aging can be traced back to the 1950s, and was popularized in the 1980s. It reflects changing views on aging in Western countries, where a stigma associated with old age has led to considering older people a burden on society. Research on successful aging, however, acknowledges that there is a growing number of older adults functioning at a high level and contributing to the society. In this course we will seek to define what differentiates successful from problematic aging with memory and cognition in order to design effective strategies and medical interventions to protect health and well-being as we age.