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Week 2: Strategies for being well

In week 2 of Strategies for Successful Ageing, we will be looking at strategies for being well, mental health, intimacy, and quality of life.
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Hello, and welcome to week two of Strategies for Successful Ageing. This week, we’ll be joined by a number of researchers from Trinity College Dublin who are investigating happiness and well-being. Through an interactive survey, we will chart happiness by decade, and discover the age that happiness peaks, and you will have an opportunity to compare your chart with that of our research. We’ll also discuss expectations you have for yourself as you age, and we’ll define what quality of life is, and what it means for you. Professor Brian Lawlor will then offer strategies for good mental health, and also flag when you should be concerned about your mood and mental health.
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You will gain tips for dealing with stressful life events, and discover ways to manage fear and worry through life’s transitions.
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Professor Sabina Brennan will provide the good news on brain ageing, and show that decline is not inevitable. She’ll highlight tools and resources for brain health. And because relationships are so key to happiness, we’ll talk with Professor Virpi Timonen about family solidarity, and its role in happiness. The team will also offer tips for maintaining intimacy and enjoying sex as you age, and by the close of the week, you’ll have a better understanding of how to nurture relationships, including the one you have with yourself as a key component of happiness, quality of life, and well-being at every stage. Enjoy.

Last week, we looked at how perceptions of ageing can influence the ageing process. This week, we move on to important areas for successful ageing: mental health and quality of life.

This week:

  • Quality of life is a term often used in the media and in research when talking about older adults. Dr Eithne Sexton explores what quality of life is and provides instruments for measuring quality of life. What does quality of life mean to you?

  • Research Assistant Professor in Psychology Sabina Brennan shows you some of the most current research on brain ageing, and why decline in mental health is not inevitable.

  • Worry, fear and depression are often behaviours we come up against in our daily lives. Professor of Old Age Psychiatry Brian Lawlor gives you tips and strategies for managing fear and worry, and will explore depression.

  • Professor in Social Policy and Ageing Virpi Timonen looks at the different dimensions of intergenerational family solidarity.

  • Dr Mary Ni Lochlainn investigates sexual relationships and intimacy in older age, offering you tips for maintaining intimacy in later life.

  • Dr David Thomas offers you guidance on how to better plan your visits to your health care professional.

We would like to thank you again for your comments. We encourage you to read comments from other learners, like those you agree with, and add in ideas of your own.

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Strategies for Successful Ageing

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