Older Adults Can Regain Well-Being

THURSDAY, Sept. 25, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Older adults can regain well-being, according to a study published online Sept. 24 in PLOS ONE.

Mabel Ho, Ph.D., and Esme Fuller-Thomson, Ph.D., both from University of Toronto, examined characteristics of older adults who have regained optimal well-being, which was defined as having adequate social support; high levels of older adults’ subjective perception of their aging process, physical health, mental health, happiness, and life satisfaction; and being free of limitations in Activities of Daily Living and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, disabling pain or discomfort, severe mental illness, or cognitive decline in the preceding year. The analysis included 8,332 participants in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (2011 to 2015).

The researchers found that the prevalence of optimal well-being at time 2 (2015 to 2018) was higher among respondents who at baseline were younger, married, physically active, not obese, and nonsmokers; had higher income; did not have sleeping problems, diabetes, arthritis, or osteoporosis; and achieved at least two of the four wellness domains (i.e., physical, psychological and emotional, social, and self-rated wellness).

“Old age does not necessarily result in poor physical health, nor is a decline in well-being inevitable,” the authors write. “Almost one in four respondents who were in less-than-optimal well-being at baseline regained well-being over the ensuing approximately three years.”

Abstract/Full Text