Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2026

Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit
Published on: September 30, 2020
Perceived strategies and activities for successful later aging
Carole K Holahan1, Katherine S Velasquez
1Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, The University of Texas at Austin, TX 78712, USA. c.holahan@mail.utexas.edu
Abstract:
This study investigated perceived strategies and activities for successful later aging. Participants were 242 members of the Terman Study of the Gifted who responded to an open-ended question concerning how they make the most of their aging years. Data were collected in 1996 and 1999, when the participants were average ages of 84 and 86. Longitudinal analyses examined changes over time and cross-sectional analyses examined correlates of strategies and activities. Results showed that strategies emphasized emotion regulation and adaptation. Activities emphasized family involvement, social relationships, leisure, productive and intellectual activity, and health maintenance. Reports of emotion regulation and adaptation increased over time and mention of an intellectual orientation declined over time. Variations in activity mention were found according to gender, age, self-rated health, health limitations, and life satisfaction. History of higher-level occupations was related to more productive activities. Results are discussed in terms of the challenges of later aging.
Related Concept Videos
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Coping Strategies: Problem Focused
For example, consider a student who struggles to understand their...
Strategies of Self-Presentation I: Strategic Self-Presentation
Strategies of Self-Presentation III: Self-Monitoring
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques VI
Motivation and Self-Determination
Motivation, the driving force behind behavior, plays a pivotal role at every stage of the change process. The research...