Healthy, Safe and Active Aging

Dear Colleagues,

The ageing of the population on a global scale is a complex demographic process involving social, cultural and economic aspects. While the increase in longevity in recent decades is undoubtedly a great success, on the other hand it is necessary to ensure and maintain psychophysical and relational well-being in older persons in order to monitor and manage the progressive loss of functional abilities as well as the onset of age-related diseases. In addressing the challenge of the ageing population, policies aimed at prevention, rehabilitation, environmental facilitation and economic, social and motivational support of the elderly and their family were developed. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines healthy ageing as “the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age”. The interaction between the intrinsic capacity of an individual (mental and physical capacities) and the relevant environmental characteristics (home, community and broader society, the built environment, people and their relationships, attitudes and values in addition to health and social policies) is a requirement for healthy ageing. Moreover, in order to turn ageing into a positive experience, the WHO has adopted the term active ageing to define “the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age”. During the entire course of their life, people should act in favor of their physical, social and mental wellbeing, according to their needs, desires and capacities. This Topic is devoted to providing a contribution regarding the determinants of healthy, safe and active aging, embracing the biopsychosocial model, by considering biological, psychological and social factors as well as their complex interactions in understanding health, illness and healthcare delivery in ageing. Demographic and cultural characteristics, social and economic determinants, physical environments and personal as well as behavioral determinants, from a medical, psychological, sociological and technological point of view, will be considered. We welcome manuscripts related to a) mental health, the promotion of the decrease in risk factors associated with major diseases and the increase in factors protecting health; b) psychological factors (cognition, emotion and personality) in normal and pathological aging; c) biological factors (genetic, molecular and cellular); d) quality of life, assessment, prevention, effective treatments and interventions, holistic medicine, age-friendly as well as safe environments and social support; and e) available and emerging technologies for interfacing with the human brain and of their application to support elderly individuals (assistive technologies, neuroengineering, biomedical engineering, information technology and sensor technology).

Prof. Dr. Andrea Bosco
Dr. Alessandro Oronzo Caffò
Dr. Antonella Lopez
Topic Editors