Will optimism training one day become as routine as physical, occupational and speech and language therapy in long-term care?
It’s an interesting possibility to ponder given the results of a recent study published in the Journal of Applied Gerontology.
When investigators examined the relationship between activities of daily living limitations and life satisfaction in older adults, they found that “[a]s activity limitations increased, life satisfaction statistically significantly decreased; however, an increase in optimism was related to an increase in life satisfaction.” Findings were based on an examination of data from the 2008-2018 Health and Retirement Study.
“This study reinforces that not every adult with difficulties performing ADLs or IADLs has low levels of life satisfaction,” the authors wrote. The challenge is figuring out how more older adults can experience the innate trait of optimism.
“Strategies to improve optimism and other positive perceptions may have promise to increase life satisfaction and protect middle-aged and older adults from the negative effects of functional limitations,” the authors said.
More research is needed to explore how optimism training — guided exercises that encourage people to focus on positive life experiences — could affect older adults’ life satisfaction, they said.
But we can be hopeful.
Lois A. Bowers is the editor of McKnight’s Senior Living. Read her other columns here.
