As the editors of this interesting collection reveal, the term
'productive aging' was coined at a gerontological meeting in
Salzburg, Austria in 1982 and it has since been closely associated
with the work of Robert Butler, former head of the National Institute
of aging, and one of the participants at the seminar. Butler and
his colleagues have been tireless advocates for the 'normalization'
of aging and for the creation of opportunities for elderly people
to continue to participate as economically productive members of
society. This edited collection extends on this work by examining
the concept of productive aging in the light of related concepts
such as successful aging, healthy aging and meaningful aging.