Perceptions of successful ageing among older Maltese citizens

Abstract

The aim of this study was to understand how older Maltese people perceive successful ageing in order to add knowledge to the definition of successful ageing. An understanding of successful ageing, as seen from the perspective of older people themselves, has helped to identify needs, formulate new policies, improve on existing ones, and recommend better tailor-made services for older Maltese people in order to age successfully.

Given that no similar study had yet been carried out locally, the qualitative research method was deemed to be the best approach. One-to-one semi-structured interviews were held with 20 participants (10 males and 10 females). All participants were Maltese, 65 years old plus, and all living in the community. The methodology used to analyse findings was the grounded theory method, given that it helped the researcher to understand how and why participants gave meaning to different experiences in their lives.

It was interesting to discover that all participants believe that they are ageing successfully. While all agreed that being healthy is important for ageing successfully, they all gave different definitions to what being healthy means, with many participants emphasising the importance of being resilient – by accepting and adapting to changes. Apart from being healthy, participants gave great importance to other factors. Out of 20 participants, 18 participants linked family directly with successful ageing. Many participants were aware that as they grow older, things do not remain the same, and thus mentioned the importance of accepting this fact and adapting to these life changes accordingly. This is in line with the concept of resilience.

The main themes set out for this study can be summarised as follows: accepting change and adapting to it; having a positive outlook; and meaningful family relationships.

This study has concluded that the most widely used definition of successful ageing, which is that of Rowe and Kahn, is not applicable to the local scenario. Whilst it is evident that current local policies and strategies are bringing good results, there is also room for improvement. Hence, as a result of the findings elicited from this study, recommendations for further research and recommendations for policies and strategies were put forward.