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.
Financing your wellness initiative by John Rude, MS
In a perfect world, individuals, organizations and even primary care physicians would receive financial incentives for preventing ill health and chronic disease. The current reality is often just the opposite, however. Disease management remains the name of the game in the United States, as well as other countries.
Although we now have the research, tools and evidence-based programs to influence optimum health well into the eighth and ninth decades of life, many in the aging business struggle to fully embrace prevention and wellness. Why? A lack of financial resources is often the barrier, but other obstacles may preempt an initiative.
Construction
The trend of brain fitness
Dr. David Gobble talks about the growing trends of brain fitness
moreIntellectual wellness
Physical activity guidelines: what's the difference? by Patricia Ryan, MS
Over the past several years, guidelines for physical activity for adults have been published, all from very credible organizations. Are they the same, or different? More important, how can guidelines be used in everyday work?
The most recent guidelines come from the US government department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association (ACSM/AHA). Earlier guidelines are listed on the next page.
Public policy
Extending roadtime: Techniques to maintain driving wellness by Jennifer L. Womack, MS, OTR/L and Michaela Mangrum, OTS
Each year, more than one million Americans ages 70 and older stop driving and turn to other means to meet their transportation needs (Foley, 2002). Given that the United States is an automobile-dependent society, retirement from driving is often viewed negatively as a loss of independence rather than simply a transition to other forms of transportation. In our experience, older adults frequently report they dread the day when they are no longer able to drive due to the broader implications for their lives.
moreMental health
Sleep and the older adult by Diana M. Taibi, PhD, RN
Sleep disturbances are among the most common difficulties experienced by older persons. Over half of older adults in the United States experience insomnia symptoms several nights a week (National Sleep Foundation, 2002; Ohayon, Carskadon, Guilleminault & Vitiello, 2004). Compared to younger adults, older adults tend to:
· take longer to fall asleep,
· wake up more frequently at night,
· spend more time awake during the night,
· get less total sleep, and
· feel unrefreshed after sleeping.
Older adults may not report difficulty sleeping because they believe it is a normal part of aging, although current evidence supports that both younger and older adults need 7-9 hours of sleep.
Physical wellness
The neck/shoulder connection by Dean Smith, BScPT
As a physical therapist, I frequently work with clients who experience pain and disability in the neck and shoulder region. What are the causes of these issues?
- Work injuries
- Car accidents
- Other trauma (falls, sport-related)
- Disease, especially arthritis
- Chronic poor postural habits at work, home and during sleep
When people suffer pain in this region of the body, I frequently observe postural issues and muscle imbalances. I can only speculate as to whether these were there prior to the onset of pain or if the dysfunctions developed afterward.
