This concept for Successful Ageing was developed following a ten-year study by the MacArthur Foundation by Rowe and Kahn.

Rowe & Kahn sought to distinguish successful ageing from what they described as the usual pattern of ageing that results in early disability and morbidity, which they argued do not need to form part of the ageing process.  In their theory, an older person with optimum health could avoid disability and disease, which is frequently seen as an integral part of the ageing process. The Rowe & Kahn Model (1998) of successful ageing contains three characteristics:

• Low risk of disease and disease related disability;

• High mental and physical function; and

• Active engagement with life.