Community Gerontology Model for Healthy Aging Developed in Mexico Framed in Resilience and Generativity

• Published in: Journal of cross-cultural gerontology 2019-12, Vol.34 (4), p.439-459
• Main Authors: Mendoza-Núñez, Víctor M., Vivaldo-Martínez, Marissa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Action research; Activities of daily living; Aged; Aging; Anthropology; Biochemical markers; Cognitive functioning; Community based action research; Community Participation; Community research; Disease prevention; Female; Generativity; Geriatrics; Geriatrics/Gerontology; Gerontology; Health care; Health services; Healthy Aging - psychology; Humans; Intergenerational Relations - ethnology; Male; Mexico; Middle Aged; Older people; Original Article; Participation; Participatory research; Philosophy of Medicine; Resilience; Resilience, Psychological; Self Care; Selfmanagement; Social networks; Social Sciences; Social Support; Support networks; Theory of Medicine/Bioethics
• ISSN: 0169-3816; 1573-0719
• DOI: 10.1007/s10823-019-09385-5

Background: The aims of this paper are to present the evolutionary development of the Community Model of Healthy Aging (CMHA) and to show the main results of the community gerontology studies framed in each of the stages of the CMHA. Method: The study employs a qualitative community-based participatory research approach. We also measured several biochemical parameters, social support networks, and indicators of physical and cognitive functioning. Results: We identified three stages in the development of the CMHA. The first stage was informative (CMHA-I, 1994-2000) with more than 70% of the older adults participating in self-care programs for health. The second stage was formative (CMHA-F, 2001-2015) with more than 80% of older adults participating in self-care, mutual aid, and self-management programs. The third stage was emancipatory (CMHA-E, 2016-2018). In this last stage, we added resilience and generativity as basic elements to strengthen and enhance human capacities during aging, and more than 90% of older adults made optimal use of social support networks as a key strategy. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the addition of resilience and generativity in the CMHA contributed to the active participation of older adults in the maintenance of functioning and the prevention and control of diseases linked to aging.