The new emphasis on healthy or “successful” aging, while a refreshing contrast to the
“decline and loss” paradigm, is problematic as well. In particular, the newer paradigm is
seen as reinforcing the “elderly mystique,” or prejudice against disabled elders. This article
examines several alternative visions of aging and disability and their implications for policy,
with particular attention to the “compression of morbidity” thesis. The social construction of
aging and disability then is explored, as are historical patterns in our thinking about “good” …