Active aging is associated with healthy aging, quality of life and well-being. Successfull aging can be understood as aging well by maintaining older brain functionality in such a way that older adults can live independently, avoiding cognitive decline and dementia.

I discuss the concepts in this paper :-) I hope this may help you.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282850880_The_gamer's_soul_never_dies_Review_of_digital_games_for_an_active_ageing

Conference Paper The gamer's soul never dies Review of digital games for an a...

I hope this article may be of your interest:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525861015005940

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525861015005940

Active ageing keeps you alive, successful ageing makes the world a better place.

Active aging is regular rythem of ageing by living, having healthy days and unhealthy days. Gradually, that celles are oxidized, based on the different condition and environment of each individual, malfunctions naturally progresses toward the disabilities and end. In succesful ageing, maintaining stimated healthy activity, right nutrition, healthy state of mind (far from ageing depression, or fear & anxiety of death) are some of the factores that separates the person from actively ageing group.  

Active ageing, as the term implies, actively involves the individual - the person may be frail or have limited abilities, but active ageing utilises the skills and abilities the individual has, so that their quality of life can be enhanced and the individual is actively participating in the development of their Care Plan or planning the services they receive. This approach is focused upon actively utilising the strengths of the person to enhance his/her life and in some ways to compensate for areas where they may be less able. The Victorian Government in Australia has a document on the Internet titled HACC Active Service Model which might be of interest to you. The measure for active ageing is often self perceived quality of life - certainly focuses upon the individual's perspective upon what is important to him/her. My understanding of 'successful ageing' is often measured by others - how others perceive the person is 'successful' - so the term successful is interpreted by others / the community.

There are a special issue of The Gerontologist dedicated to the concept of successful aging (2015). Active aging is a policy framework. 

This is indeed a good question given the array of answers you received!  I think this last answer by Dr. Curcio is a good one, describing the policy (or theoretical) framework as active aging.  As a long time social worker, successful aging is the phrase more commonly used and can incorporate the person's definition of what success looks ike for them.  Best regards with your work!

Thanks. This has really given it a good clarification.  

Suggest a literature search...how can a single person answer this quesiton?

I agree with Lee Chin response. Active aging, as the word implies, means that the person is actively participating in society, in the community, and in general physical and recreational activities.   Retirement communities and the real estate business is embracing this definition to design homes and living communities that include activities (i.e. gardening, swimming, golf, tennis, sailing, etc.) for the older adult to keep engaged and vital.

Successful aging includes all the aging dimensions ( i.e. physical, emotional, social) implying that the person was able to reach a state of high well-being, function, personal accomplishments, and health without diseases or expected age-related conditions, or at least with the minimal expected.  Active aging is one of the components of successful aging.

I think if there was some attempt on the part of Research Gate to make sure the questions are more narrowed we would not be trying to answer questions to broad in scope and that many questions could be answered with a literature search. Merrill Elias

active aging is an economic concept that implies to involving and using of elderly people potentials in order to reduce the dependency rate but successful aging more focus on health aspect of aging.