Quality of life and active and successful ageing – an outline

The observed demographic changes involving mainly the progressive ageing of the Polish population are leading to the increased market importance of the senior segment. Therefore, a stronger emphasis is put in on quality of life and its related concepts of successful and active ageing that have been recognised as a paradigm in modern social policy. This is justified by the fact that quality of life is consistent with the core values ensuing from human rights, such as independence, participation, dignity, security and self-realisation. The purpose of this study is to clarify the essence and the key determinants of quality of life, as well as the concepts of successful and active ageing. The structure of this article is as follows. After a brief introduction, the focus is on the interdisciplinary understanding of quality of life. Quality of life is explained in sociological, psychological, economic, social and medical terms. Afterwards, the crucial factors determining quality of life are analysed. Further, the concepts of successful ageing and post-retirement activity that are inextricably linked to the quality of everyone’s life are discussed.