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.
Topic- Innovator awards
EngAGE by The Garlands: a lifestyle program supporting healthier, vital aging
Barrington, Illinois, is a northwestern suburb of Chicago known for its country living—a place where “small town meets urban convenience,” according to The Garlands of Barrington website. Locally owned and operated by Barrington Venture LLC, The Garlands is home to more than 250 members in independent living, assisted living, memory support and skilled nursing residences. This continuing care retirement community, which opened in 2002, has been recognized for its design, construction and skilled nursing program, among other things. Last year, the community’s lifestyle initiative was also honored for its excellence with a 2009 ICAA Innovators Award.
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Get Fit for Space: how a research-driven initiative encouraged physical activity in long-term care
Fitness and the Plasticity of Aging. Agri-food for Healthy Aging. Spiritual Care for Seniors. These are some of the creative emerging research themes that have joined the more well-established ones at Canada’s Schlegel-University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging.
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CogniFit Personal Coach: promoting healthier, active aging through brain fitness
Established in 1999 by cognitive psychologist Shlomo Breznitz, PhD, Israeli company CogniFit Ltd. develops and provides computerized brain fitness training programs for a variety of markets. The distinguished academic—whose achievements include, among others, serving as president, rector and Lady Davis Professor of Psychology at the University of Haifa—founded CogniFit based on his more than 30 years’ experience in the field. His goal? To use the latest cognitive research to help people of all ages maintain and improve quality of life through brain fitness assessment and training.
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Kisco's 100 Ways to Wellness encourages residents to 'dare to make a change'
In North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad Region, three Kisco communities collaborated to promote “living well” in 2008 with the 100 Ways to Wellness challenge. The six-month program—developed by wellness directors Nicki Grudzinskas, Allison Pait and Leigh Grimes, of Heritage Woods, Abbotswood at Irving Park and Heritage Greens respectively—inspired participants to be more active, engaged and adventurous. Daring individuals to make a change, the program’s slogan reinforced the message that it’s never too late to explore and accomplish new things. Overall, the residents, family members and staff associates at the three Triad communities received the initiative so well that Kisco later rolled out the program at several other locations.
To learn more about 100 Ways to Wellness, the Journal on Active Aging® recently asked Grudzinskas, Pait and Grimes to tell us about their program, and how they developed and implemented it jointly in their communities.
JAA: Let’s first talk about wellness in Kisco communities. How do you define wellness?
LG: Our website defines wellness as “the combination of many factors that both strengthen and enhance the mind, body and spirit and involves the whole human experience encompassing the primary aspects of a healthy lifestyle: emotional, intellectual, physical, social, spiritual and vocational.” We believe that “our wellness programs … bring a new lifestyle perspective, an optimistic outlook, and a can-do attitude for both residents and associates.”
JAA: How would you describe the 100 Ways to Wellness initiative?
AP: Our 100 Ways to Wellness program was a list of 100 wellness tasks designed to inspire residents to step outside their comfort zones and engage in life in very meaningful ways. This wellness initiative was designed as an incentive program—something our three communities collaborate on annually. It was perhaps our most successful effort to date in terms of truly holistic wellness programming and addressing “The Art of Living Well.”
NG: The key programming element of 100 Ways was its focus on all six dimensions of wellness. We wanted this challenge to be much more holistic than a traditional physical activity incentive program. To that point, we hoped to reach a much greater audience.
JAA: How did you develop and implement the program in your three communities?
LG: The beginnings of 100 Ways to Wellness were a bit unorthodox. The idea sprang from the television show “My Name is Earl” and from the 2007 motion picture The Bucket List, which gave us the idea of creating a “wellness-specific bucket list.” We wanted a list of tasks that would challenge participants to do things that reflected our six-dimension philosophy of wellness, but also would, at times, push individuals out of their comfort zones. Our original list had more than 150 wellness tasks. Ultimately, we whittled it down to an even 100. A participant booklet was then designed that contained these tasks, and provided room for individuals to journal their thoughts and reflections as they completed each one.
Program implementation started with a kickoff party at a local park. The event, held the last Wednesday in May, took place in conjunction with National Senior Health and Fitness Day, and featured a wellness fair, a guest speaker, and a wonderful cookout lunch. Residents who came to the kickoff each received the booklet/journal, as well as a change purse screen-printed with the slogan “Dare to Make a Change.”
The 100 Ways to Wellness challenge continued for the remainder of the year. Each month we held a group program at one of our three communities to support residents in completing some of the wellness tasks. Transportation was provided so individuals from the other two communities could attend.
Innovator awards
The American Century connects residents and celebrates their life experiences
World War II. The Andrews Sisters. Norman Rockwell. USOs. Welcome to the 1940s! Many adults who live in senior living communities today came of age during that turbulent decade. And they were shaped by the events and innovations of the 20th century—“The American Century,” as it is sometimes called. In Classic Residence by Hyatt communities last year, an initiative encouraged older adults to explore these bygone eras, share their memories, and celebrate their life experiences.
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GenCare's Whole Food, Whole Life program supports living well for residents
With more than 28 years experience in real estate development and 20 years in the retirement industry, Leon Grundstein founded GenCare Lifestyle “to provide a premier senior living environment with options that promote a healthy and robust atmosphere.” From his years of being a sprinter at the University of Michigan to his current passions for running, yoga and playing softball, Grundstein has always known that “what you do with your body influences your quality of life.” So he initiated the Whole Life Living™ concept and began creating what he believes is a new approach to wellness—one that simultaneously improves, and protects, the environment.
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