Dr. Miriam Sang-Ah Park, PhD - Positive Ageing: Exploring Ageing and Ageing Selves from a Non-biomedical Perspective

Dr. Miriam Sang-Ah Park, PhD (Principal Lecturer, Nottingham Trent University, UK) - Positive Ageing: Exploring Ageing and Ageing Selves from a Non-biomedical Perspective

12th, November, 2024
9.45 KAZY 208
 

While there is a growing amount of research on ageing, the vast majority of them rely on biomedical perspectives. Accordingly, the main topics and focuses one finds relate to decline of various functions, frailty and dementia. While such research leads to valuable insights that can improve physical and psychological functioning, insights into what makes life meaningful and satisfying for those in old age also deserve attention and yet has often been overlooked. In this talk, I review concepts and understanding of ‘ageing well’, discussing why it is important to pay more attention to concepts such as ‘positive’ ageing. I then present two initial studies I and my collaborators conducted on positive ageing, exploring how older adults themselves view positive ageing and whether this concept has relevance to overall health and well-being. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches have been taken and I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each of these approaches and conclude with some notes on implications and future directions.