Articles
The Journal on Active Aging brings articles of value to professionals dedicated to older-adult quality of life. Content sweeps across the active-aging landscape to focus on education and practice. Find articles of interest by searching the article archives in three ways: Enter a keyword in the articles search bar; click on search by topic; or type a keyword or phrase in the general search bar at the top of the page.
Tackling graywashing: what drives it, how to recognize and avoid it by Marilynn Larkin, MA
Shortly after the launch of the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA)’s Changing the Way We Age® Campaign, ICAA CEO Colin Milner was researching his book chapter for the World Economic Forum when he had an “aha” moment. “In our ICAA publications and press releases about the campaign, we had rightly pointed out that Boomers and their parents are finally becoming a market force,” Milner says. “But the downside to that development is that many companies are now jumping on the bandwagon with products that are completely inappropriate for older adults.” With that, he came up with a word—graywashing—to describe the phenomenon.
moreGerontology
How to plan, design and deliver an optimal center for physical wellness by Jennifer Jacobs, MS
The Boomers are coming! “Every eight minutes, someone turns 50.” “By 2020, the number of people in their 40s, 50s and 60s will triple.” “Older adults hold 53% of the nation’s wealth.”1 Over the last few years, the media has been drilling these and similar messages into our heads, but have we been listening? The fact remains that this market is heading toward us like a freight train, and we need to be prepared to maximize the opportunities it presents.
Planning, designing and delivering a wellness center that meets the needs of this growing population involves more than understanding the statistics. The first step is to define what wellness means to you.
According to the National Institute on Wellness, there are six dimensions of wellness. These include:
• physical
• spiritual
• vocational
• intellectual
• social
• emotional
Three savvy ways to promote Active Aging Week by Katherine Pierce-Ryan
In another month, your planning for Active Aging Week 2011 will be well underway. A quick check of the planning calendar indicates that July and August are the months to fire up the publicity machine for this event. How do you reach your target audience to get them excited?
moreICAA initiatives
How occupational therapists can help with wellness center design by Laurel Cargill Radley, MS, OTR
When occupational therapists Marge Moffett Boyd and Jan Garbarini approached the administrator for a community of retired nuns on the Dominican College campus in Orangeburg, New York, they sought to collaborate on the development of St. Martin de Porres Wellness Center. First, however, they had to educate the Center’s personnel about what occupational therapy could bring to the lives of its residents.
Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants (collectively referred to as “practitioners”) are concerned with:
• maximizing ability throughout the life span; and
• enabling participation in activities that have personal meaning (occupations).
So it’s no surprise that practitioners often partner with seemingly unlikely colleagues in a wide variety of settings—from teachers and physicians, to builders and architects.
Palates 360: Morrison's new concept aims to transform community dining
How can senior living communities better meet the needs and wants of the Silent Generation? Morrison Senior Living, a division of Morrison Management Specialists, has extensively researched this issue over the past three years, including interviews with residents and community leaders. The result is a framework of six strategies, called “The Essential Elements of Transformation,” intended to help communities serve the demographic group that now ranges in age from mid-60s to mid-80s. Among the framework’s areas of focus are lifestyle, wellness and resident engagement.
moreProgram profiles
How miniature horses enhanced life and wellness at Kensington Village
“For recreation therapists, the prospect of implementing a large-scale and innovative program is like winning the lottery,” says Daniel Bisson, recreation manager of an active retirement community in Alberta, Canada. “It’s a singular event,” he continues, “but one with the potential to make a huge impact.”
more
