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.
Circuit play in the pool by Mary E. Sanders, PhD, FACSM
Seventy-six-year-old Stuart Brown is a fit, lighthearted physician and psychiatrist who works out of a tree house in his Carmel Valley, California, backyard. After 40 years of research where he conducted over 6,000 play studies, Brown is hooked on the power of play to maintain a resilient, healthy and joyous life. In his book Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul,1 he helps people find the style of play that makes them feel happy, even when faced with difficulties.
moreAquatics
The great outdoors: a key to promoting physical activity for older adults by Marilynn Larkin, MA
A recent study supports what many active-aging professionals know from experience: Frequent forays outdoors can help older adults maintain functional ability. Researchers found that individuals who left the house every day at age 70 experienced “significantly fewer new complaints” of sleep problems, musculoskeletal pain, urinary incontinence and troubles with activities of daily living when they reached age 77.
moreCommunity design
Challenge as spiritual care by Nancy Gordon, MDiv, CASP
Since I came to the California Lutheran Homes Center for Spirituality and Aging, many staff in retirement communities and long-term care have said to me, “You know, I’m really not very spiritual and I have a hard time understanding how to serve the spiritual needs of residents.” Also, our system’s Vitality team leader has expressed frustration about the inability to quantitatively measure the effectiveness of programming around spirituality. She can provide hard numbers on the increased fitness of virtually any participant in her fitness and swimming programs, but how does she or anyone else measure spiritual growth?
moreSpiritual wellness
Movement is Medicine: increasing awareness of the healthy aging prescription by Holly Botsford
The health benefits of exercise have been heavily researched, prominently and widely documented, and broadly disseminated. Of all the benefits, however, one key advantage is a clear fit for older adults: Age-related changes can be reversed or slowed through exercise.
The research is conclusive. In a study led by Lynn F. Cherkas, PhD, of King’s College London, telomeres (aging indicators that shorten with aging) were investigated in 2,401 pairs of healthy twins. The research revealed that physical activity correlated with increased telomere length, which equals increased longevity.
Program profiles
Set your goals for Active Aging Week 2009
The goal is simple for Active Aging Week, an annual health promotion event promoted by the International Council on Active Aging®: Give as many older adults as possible the means to experience wellness activities and exercise in a safe, friendly and fun atmosphere. ICAA accomplishes that goal through you, our colleagues who plan and host the week’s events.
Whether a single presentation or class or a week filled with activities, your work introduces older adults and their families to the concepts of active aging. Because so many of you have hosted Active Aging Week, each year thousands of older adults find opportunities to stay engaged in life through the dimensions of wellness (physical, spiritual, cognitive/intellectual, social, emotional, professional/vocational).
ICAA initiatives
Good Samaritan's harp therapy program addresses residents' needs
In 2008, the Albert Lea location introduced a therapeutic harp music program that is inherently resident centered. The harp practitioner is available to visit residents on an individual basis (and their families, if desired). Her task is to become attuned to each resident and to customize the session to address the person’s specific needs at that moment. The result is a service that provides multidimensional benefits. To find out more, the Journal on Active Aging® recently asked Theresa Thorland to describe Good Samaritan’s therapeutic harp music program and how it works.
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