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.
Art as Therapy: nurturing well-being and relationships for people with dementia by Teresa Amaral Beshwate, MPH, and Keith Kasin, MHA
In the book Beyond Forgetting, poet and essayist Holly J. Hughes describes her mother’s decline from Alzheimer’s disease as “a slow process of subtraction, as we lost her one brain cell, one synapse at a time.” Family and friends of those living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia would likely agree. As a person with dementia slowly loses memory, personality traits, skills and expressive abilities, loved ones face the difficult task of adjusting to an ever-evolving state of “normal.” Relationships can begin to break down as the ability to converse about familiar topics and shared experiences fades away. To expand on Hughes’s concept, relationships are also subject to that slow process of subtraction.
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Rehabilitation: five trends are transforming the profession - and resident care by Marilynn Larkin, MA
Traditionally, the aim of rehabilitation has been to help individuals regain strength, relearn skills, or find new ways of doing things after a serious injury, illness or surgery. Rehabilitation services generally include physical therapy to help build strength, mobility and fitness; occupational therapy to help with daily activities; speech-language therapy to help with speaking, understanding, reading, writing and swallowing; and treatment of pain. Until recently, each of these services “has approached the patient on its own, with providers almost in competition with each other,” observes Jim Hummer, senior vice president, SunDance Rehabilitation, Maryland. Now, more and more, “we’re seeing collaborative relationships, where clinicians and wellness teams are working together to benefit the resident.”
moreIndustry development
Healthy balance, brains & bones, part three: building bones in the pool by Mary E. Sanders, PhD, FACSM, RCEP
Remember Millie? In part one of “Healthy balance, brains & bones,” we met this active 63-year-old who loves water exercise and horseback riding. A knee replacement had left Millie unsure of her balance, and rather than walk across the pasture to her horse, she had stopped riding. After incorporating balance and strengthening exercises into her land and water activity plan, Millie now feels more confident and stable when walking. She is still concerned, however, about taking charge of her bone health. Millie has osteopenia.
moreAquatics
Living well with dementia: guidance for exercise instructors & wellness leaders by Bob Laventure, MEd and Claudine Aherne, MA
Living well with dementia will challenge increasing numbers of people in the years to come, as the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias continues to rise1 (see the box on page 66). Wellness and exercise instructors and physical activity leaders have the opportunity to play a particularly valuable supporting role. Understandably, however, many find it difficult to know where to start or how to approach this area of practice.
moreProgram design
Living well with dementia: guidance for exercise instructors & wellness leaders
Living well with dementia will challenge increasing numbers of people in the years to come, as the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias continues to rise1 (see the box on page 66). Wellness and exercise instructors and physical activity leaders have the opportunity to play a particularly valuable supporting role. Understandably, however, many find it difficult to know where to start or how to approach this area of practice.
moreLeadership
Eating disorders: the other side of the obesity epidemic by Marge Coalman, EdD
In recent years, headlines and health news have often focused on the obesity epidemic in developed countries around the world. With the associated risks of diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and multiple other factors, obesity is a major health risk. However, there is a less visible population—women, in particular—dealing with eating disorders that result in less-than-optimal weight and associated health problems.
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