Aging Independently: What Gerontological Prevention Really Means

What does prevention mean when diseases are already present? How can independence in old age truly be maintained? And where are the biggest weaknesses in today’s healthcare system? University Professor Dr. Thomas E. Dorner addressed these questions in a guest lecture on gerontological prevention for the bachelor’s program in Aging Services Management on April 28, 2026.

Gerontological prevention is a term that is still relatively unknown—and that is precisely why it is so relevant. While prevention among younger people is primarily aimed at avoiding illness, the goals shift significantly in old age: the focus is on independence, quality of life, and social participation. This was precisely the topic of the guest lecture “Gerontological Prevention: Securing Autonomy, Maintaining Quality of Life, Ensuring Care,” organized by the bachelor’s program in Aging Services Management and moderated by program director^Prof.⁽ FH) MMag.^a Tanja Adamcik.

University Professor Dr. Thomas E. Dorner has developed a three-tiered model for gerontological prevention, which he also presented in detail during his lecture: It ranges from preventing the onset of initial limitations in daily life, to ensuring that individuals can continue to live in their own homes, to providing high-quality institutional care.

The Most Important Factors for Healthy Aging

According to Dorner, the factors that promote healthy aging can be boiled down to four well-documented elements: physical activity, a sense of purpose, social capital, and nutrition. None of these is a high-tech solution. Physical exercise is considered one of the most effective factors, including in the prevention of dementia. A sense of purpose—understood as the feeling that one’s own life is meaningful and can be shaped—plays an equally central role. Social engagement and a balanced diet round out the picture. The speaker emphasizes that nutrition is often underestimated in the geriatric context, whereas it is frequently overestimated in general health promotion.

University Professor Dr. Thomas E. Dorner also takes a critical look at the Austrian healthcare system: Too much geriatric care still takes place in acute care hospitals, even though, in his view, this is the least suitable setting for older adults without acute illnesses. He therefore advocates for more integrated care models for older adults that address medical, nursing, and social needs as a whole.

In the discussion that followed, participants’ questions focused, among other things, on where the greatest obstacles lie in establishing prevention at an early stage, whether and how a sense of purpose can be rediscovered in old age, and what role modern diets play as a risk factor. Moderator and program director^Prof.⁽ FH) MMag.^a Tanja Adamcik picked up on a thought that sums up the evening well: a sense of purpose is not only an issue for older adults themselves, but also for those who work in care. Those who see the big picture stay motivated, and that is exactly what a good care system needs.

The key takeaway from the evening: The most effective factors for healthy aging are not high-tech solutions, but rather basic human needs that, with the right approach, can be strengthened even in old age.

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Would you like to learn more about gerontological prevention?

Watch the recording of the lecture.

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About the Speaker