An Integrative Approach to Promoting Wellness in Aging: Theory and Practice for Health Professionals

A whole-person framework for health, healing, and aging well.

As the US population ages, health professionals face a growing challenge: how to move beyond disease-centered models of care to support wellness, resilience, and quality of life in later adulthood. An Integrative Approach to Promoting Wellness in Aging offers a comprehensive, evidence-based framework for meeting that challenge. Bringing together conventional Western medicine with complementary and alternative approaches, this book introduces an integrative model of care that addresses the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions of health.

Nalini Jairath, PhD, RN, and Robin A. Majeski, PhD, RN, with insight from other experts in the field, examine the biological and psychosocial processes that shape aging--such as inflammation, metabolism, mobility, and the mind-body connection--while demonstrating how evidence-based, integrative strategies can be applied to chronic conditions common among older adults. Designed for students and practitioners across the health professions, the book combines theory with practice by exploring topics such as nutrition and exercise, mind-body modalities, herbal and nutritional supplements, biomechanical and bioenergy approaches, and community-based interventions. Case studies, learning objectives, chapter summaries, and review questions support classroom use and professional training.

Attentive to systems and policy, the book also considers the implications of integrative health for aging services, education, and health policy. By emphasizing personalized, patient-centered care and prevention-focused strategies, An Integrative Approach to Promoting Wellness in Aging equips health professionals with tools to promote wellness across the lifespan--and to rethink what healthy aging can look like in practice.