When Vitality Meets Longevity

Public health strategies have been successful in preventing morbidity and death during the prime years of our lives but there is too little knowledge on how to address the consequences of our success, the fate of the overwhelming majority of people now enjoying higher longevity. We assert that striving for just healthy longevity is too limited an approach as for most people a satisfactory life is not dependent on an optimal level of physical and mental functioning. Here we present a conceptual framework, introducing vitality as a key competence that combines the narrow, functional definition of health and the broader perception of self-rated life satisfaction. Vitality is the ability of a person to set ambitions which are appropriate for one's life situation and to realize these goals despite functional limitations. A focus on vitality presents a striking opportunity to experience a satisfactory life in keeping with longevity from which society as a whole could strongly benefit. It necessitates a paradigm shift in our thinking that should lead to a new type of health strategy that appropriately integrates the needs and desires of the older generation.