The Science of Resilient Aging

Sunday, 16 February 2014: 1:30 PM-4:30 PM
Grand Ballroom A (Hyatt Regency Chicago)
Contrary to popular beliefs about inevitable deterioration with age, there is accumulating evidence for wide variation in patterns of growth and decline through the adult lifespan. In fact, many adults exhibit high levels of physical and mental fitness, engage in satisfying activities, and sustain rich and nurturing social relationships into very late in the life span. Longer life spans are contributing to aging on a global scale. Population aging is unprecedented, pervasive, and projected to endure such that by 2050, for the first time in history, the proportion of adults over the age of 60 is expected to match the number of people who are younger than 15 years of age (with 21percent for each segment of the population). These trends create challenges for virtually every facet of human life, including health, families, work, and civic engagement. It is critical to discover the scientific principles underlying resilient aging and ways to translate these principles so that successful aging becomes the typical, rather than the exceptional, case. This interdisciplinary symposium considers a broad array of factors that promote resilient aging, within each domain addressing: What is known about the pathways to aging well? What are the critical outcomes that provide evidence for resilience?  Where is the untapped potential for translational intervention, and at what point in the lifespan?
Organizer:
Elizabeth A. L. Stine-Morrow, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Speakers:
Kirk Erickson, University of Pittsburgh
Aging, Exercise, and Brain Plasticity
Ulman Lindenberger, Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Cognitive Plasticity in Adulthood: Theory and Data
Daniel K. Mroczek, Northwestern University
Personality, Health and Longevity
John T. Cacioppo, University of Chicago
Rewarding Social Connections Promote Successful Aging
See more of: Behavioral and Social Sciences
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