From Disability to Capability: Trajectory of Healthy Aging From the Perspective of People With Multiple Sclerosis

As they age, people with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience age-related functional decline earlier than people without MS. This qualitative study aimed to explore the trajectory of healthy aging from the perspective of people with MS.

Grounded theory methodology was employed in this study. A purposive sample of 10 people with MS 50 years or older was recruited from an MS clinic in the north of Iran. Data were collected through 15 semistructured interviews and analyzed using initial coding, focused coding, and constant comparison.

Participants described how they focus on maintaining physical function by developing physical capability. They considered healthy aging with MS as maintaining current function and experiencing less functional decline in later life. Most expected to experience further dysfunctions as age-related declines are superimposed on MS-related disabilities. Consequently, they are developing their physical capacity through a healthy lifestyle to maintain residual abilities while aging with MS.

The findings of this study reveal that people aging with MS maintain functional ability by developing capability through a healthy lifestyle across the life course. They suggest that the interaction between age- and MS-related dysfunction should be taken into consideration to foster healthy aging in people with MS.