The Ripeness of Old Age: an Enactive Perspective on Wellbeing in Later Life

The prevalence of wellbeing-related afflictions such as depression is, globally, on the rise in the elderly population. In this paper, subjective and intersubjective experiential dimensions of such afflictions are explicated through the theoretical framework of enactivism. Drawing on the cyclic agent-environment relation that is at the heart of enactivism, one can yield novel insights into the nature of age-based deteriorations, along with innovative therapeutic interventions and lifestyle changes that can help to preserve the ‘ripeness’ of old age.