New Directions to Healthy Aging in the 21st Century

The emergence of an aging society, in which the proportion of persons aged 65 years or older has increased more than threefold in the past century in the United States alone, has far-reaching implications for public health. The opportunities and innovative roles for public health community are currently being examined in a series on “Healthy Aging” that was initiated in the March 2012 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Healthy aging has been referred to “as the development and maintenance of optimal physical, mental, spiritual, and social well-being and functioning in older adults.” For healthy aging, we need safe and supporting environments that promote the health of older adults while enhancing intergenerational programs and policies that enrich all of society. Efforts to move beyond traditional approaches and adopt broader socio-ecological perspectives that addresses individual, family, social, and environmental and policy dimensions of healthy aging are needed. Panel presentations will describe the opportunities, strategies, and new directions focused on maintaining and improving the health and well-being of older adults.