Holistic well-being of older adults as a multidimensional system based on life experiences in the context of urban Indonesia

OBJECTIVE: The framework for healthy aging is still largely normative and developed in the context of high-income countries, thus failing to capture the life experiences of older adults in middle- and low-income countries. This study aims to explore the meaning of holistic well-being in Makassar City, shaped in accordance with the local urban context of Indonesia. METHOD: This study used a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews of 45 participants consisting of older adults and older adult cadres selected using purposive sampling in 15 sub-districts in Makassar City. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis with MAXQDA 2024 software. RESULTS: This study identified a hierarchical model of holistic well-being comprising eight dimensions organized into four functional layers: Enabling Conditions (Functional Physical Well-Being, Financial Security), Engagement Pathways (Social Participation, Productive Engagement, Lifelong Learning Engagement), Mediating Core (Spiritual Life Orientation, Family-Centered Happiness, Social Embeddedness), Subjective Outcome (Psychological Serenity and Emotional Regulation). CONCLUSION: This study offers an empirically grounded, contextually situated understanding of well-being among older adults in an urban Indonesian setting, extending existing frameworks by foregrounding lived experience and relational interdependence.