Resilience in the Elderly: Concept and Approaches to Promoting Resilience
Keywords:
Resilience, concept and promoting, elderlyAbstract
Resilience refers to a person’s ability to face adversity in life, and can be measured using
three attributes: “I have...” (external support and resources); “I am...” (internal, personal strengths);
and “I can...” (social, interpersonal skills). Nowadays, this concept is applied to assist the elderly in
adapting and recovering positively from adversity or life crises such as chronic disease, loss of a loved
one or loss of social roles. In the elderly such events may create or worsen various psychological
problems such as loneliness, loss of self-confdence, stress, and depression. A literature review
found guidelines for promoting resilience in the elderly, including promoting mental and emotional
stability, coping and problem solving skills, social support, and promoting good health behaviors.
Relationships were found between resilience and important outcome variables such as life satisfaction,
high levels of well-being, and decreased depression. Promoting increased resilience in the elderly will
enhance happiness and life satisfaction. The aim of this article is to promote better understanding of
the meaning and factors of resilience in the elderly, and to further develop guidelines for enhancing
resilience in this age group in concordance with a strategy for improving the elderly’s quality of life.
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