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- Physical wellness
Improving older adults' eye-head coordination by Debra Rose, Ph.D.
Three sensory systems are particularly important to maintain balance in standing and moving environments. These are the visual, somatosensory, and vestibular systems. Although no individual system provides us with all the sensory information we need to determine our position in space,
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Therapy to Fitness to Wellness: 10 strategies to improve older adults' quality of life by Susan L. Jackson and Christine R. Schnitzer
To serve as a roadmap for coordinating professional efforts, we developed and implemented 10 strategies for the Therapy to Fitness to Wellness program at the Fountains of Melbourne, a Kisco Senior Living community in Florida. This program has a three-year proven success record with independent and assisted living clients, ages 78–98 years. Outcome measures include a 400% increase in resident participation in fitness, aquatics and therapy (2000–2004); and a 50% increase in resident satisfaction scores (2001–2003).
morePhysical wellness
Fitness Caching: high tech hits the trails by Leigh Crews
An activity for all ages
Fitness Caching is an outdoor adventure workout, kicked up a notch by 21st century technology. This activity can be part hike, bike or run and part treasure hunt. It can also take people to undiscovered places, where they can enjoy the natural scenery, take a break for yoga, meditate, or scratch a few lines in a journal.
Physical wellness
Fibromyalgia and fitness: 10 guidelines for physical activity instructors by C. Jessie Jones
Can you imagine how frustrating and depressing it must be to wake up each and every morning wondering just how much physical pain and fatigue you’ll endure that day, and knowing there is no cure? Welcome to the life of people with fibromyalgia (FM).
Fibromyalgia (pronounced “fi-bro-my-AL-jia”) is not a disease, but rather a syndrome (or group of symptoms). Although the exact prevalence is unknown, reports suggest approximately 2–4% of the U.S. population has FM, with the onset of symptoms generally evident between ages 20–55 years. For reasons not understood, women account for 80% of individuals with this syndrome. In addition, the prevalence of FM increases with age, reaching greater than 7% in women ages 60–79 years.
Physical wellness
Ezy Tai Chi: a simpler practice for seniors by K. John Fisher, Fuzhong Li and Machiko Shirai
As a form of exercise, tai chi increasingly appeals to the growing proportion of older adults that looks for alternative and convenient ways to exercise for health. Originally developed for martial arts purposes in China more than 300 hundred years ago, this practice has been used as a traditional exercise to improve fitness, health and longevity for individuals of all ages. Tai chi’s low-to-moderate intensity and beneficial effects on strength, flexibility, breathing and balance make it especially attractive to mature adults.
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Gait training for older adults by Debra J. Rose, Ph.D.
The act of walking constitutes one of the most complex activities we engage in as humans. Although higher brain centers play an important role in the overall control, variation and adaptation of the locomotor pattern, complex networks of neurons located in the spinal cord are responsible for the rhythmic and subconscious coordination of the major muscle groups involved in walking.
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