Later-Life Creativity and Successful Aging in Neoliberal Agendas.

Background And Objectives: Although the model of successful aging is already well discussed and has received considerable critical responses, its intersection with the growing enthusiasm for creative engagement among older adults needs further exploration. This article contributes to the growing literature on later-life creativity by examining its relationship with the discourse of successful aging.

Research Design And Methods: The study employs critical humanities-based perspectives and the literature on later life to address creativity in older age within contemporary neoliberal imperatives.

In Darkness We Meet: Annie Ernaux's Account of Care and Dementia.

Background And Objectives: The complexities surrounding aging, dementia, and care are timely issues that transcend beyond institutional boundaries, evincing a critical debate on later life across disciplines. The aim of this study is to offer fresh insights into the intricate paradigms of living and growing older with dementia. The study focuses on the Nobel Prize-winning author Annie Ernaux's memoir I Remain in Darkness (1999), which provides a candid account of her mother's journey through dementia from its onset to the gradual decline.

Roald Dahl's eerie landlady: A macabre tale of aging.

This article examines Roald Dahl's adult short story 'The Landlady' through the lens of age studies and the horror genre. It explores how different symbolic and gothic textual elements contribute to the narrative of decline and the negative notion of later life. Special attention is given to female aging and dementia, which is presented as a horrifying 'silent killer' embodied in the figure of a witch.

Profiguration, Active Ageing, and Creativity: Keys for Quality of Life and Overcoming Ageism.

This article is based on qualitative analysis of interviews and focus groups conducted with participants enrolled in the Senior Programme of the University of Lleida, the City Council of Lleida, and care homes, as well as professional workers in the field of gerontology and related areas. It presents the analysis of interviews focused on the participants' life trajectories, ageing, creativity, self-perception, and quality of life. The study aimed to examine how creativity influences the maintenance and improvement of a sense of wellbeing in older adults, and to reflect on how the perception of old age and of oneself changes through creative activity and active engagement across the life span.

Literary mentorship on the art of living, aging and dying.

This article offers a fresh examination of Mitch Albom's bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie (1997) from a perspective of literary age studies, with a special focus on the concept of later-life mentorship. The classic mentor figure, commonly seen as the archetype of a wise old teacher, is revived through the healing power of an end-of-life narrative. The mentorial relationship between a young man and an old man shows that the personal growth is as an ongoing and ageless process of becoming that can lead to wisdom and a better understanding of aging and living-with-dying.

Care, Dementia, and the Fourth Age in Erica Jong's Later Work.

Background And Objectives: This article addresses the representations of dementia and caregiving in the fourth age as depicted in Erica Jong's later-life work. It shows how the experience of parental care leads to the discovery of new ways of human interaction and expressions of personhood.

Research Design And Methods: Framed within literary-cultural age studies, this article shows how humanities-based inquiry can illuminate important aspects of aging and care of the oldest old, which are significant and revealing, but often hidden under the dark shadow of dementia.

To lift or not to lift? The dilemma of an aging face in Erica Jong's later works.

Resistance to physical decay and the desire to keep youthful looks are not new in human history. Today, however, anti-aging discourse intensifies the longing to reshape one's body and stop the ravages of time. Aging is often portrayed as a personal accountability, a sign of moral responsibility, and even disease, which affects older women disproportionately.

Revisiting Happiness and Well-Being in Later Life from Interdisciplinary Age-Studies Perspectives.

Important demographic shifts and the so-called 'longevity revolution' have generated profound transformations in social interpretations of old age, an increased interest in age studies and new ideas on how to age well. The majority of current successful ageing models, however, represent rather a prevailing construct in Western societies. Physical and psychosocial well-being and the ability to adjust to the ideals of successful ageing are often seen as an integral part of a good quality in life.