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.
Casa Dorinda's "Meet Your Neighbor" initiative introduces residents to each other via video by Marilynn Larkin, MA
When the pandemic struck and effectively isolated Casa Dorinda's on- and off-campus residents from the surrounding communities and from each other, the entertainment committee cochairs of the Montecito, California-based life-care community sprang into action. They came up with an innovative and compelling video project, Meet Your Casa Dorinda Neighbor, which has had a positive impact on residents, staff and sales, and will be part of the organization's array of services going forward, according to Director of Life Enrichment Melissa Gill Hausz. Pre-pandemic, the community's entertainment committee members were in part responsible for greeting new residents, inviting them to dinners and social events, and introducing them to current residents. As it became clear in March 2020 that social activities would effectively shut down, the committee's cochairs proposed the video initiative. "The Life Enrichment team felt it would be a wonderful way for residents to not only see each other, but to learn about each other at a time when they couldn't meet in person and have conversations face-to-face," Hausz says. "The plan was approved, and everyone got to work!"
moreProgram profiles
Embracing nature, parks and outdoor spaces to age well: COVID-19 and beyond by Pazit Levinger, PhD, and Keith Hill, PhD
As the United Nation's Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030) commences, active-aging advocates may look back on 2020 as a year that illuminated the real-world importance of healthy aging. Older people have been adversely impacted by the current coronavirus pandemic, with a high proportion of deaths reported in those ages 65 and over. A new study from Kaiser Permanente, a California-based integrated healthcare system, suggests that physical activity levels are a significant factor in COVID-19 outcomes. Physical activity is a key lifestyle factor that positively impacts health and well-being across the life span, including in older age. Further, being physically active in the outdoors offers mental, physical and social health benefits for all age groups. In light of the pandemic, being outdoors also offers a safer option to engage in physical activity due to the lower transmission risk for the virus. Parks and outdoor leisure spaces are often designed...with little focus on the older demographic. It is timely to make sure the needs of older people are catered for in any future park refurbishments or new outdoor design. Seniors centers, retirement communities and other organizations that serve this population may also increase use of their outdoor spaces for activity through improvements.
moreCommunity design
Pandemic innovations boost wellness
Among the earliest consequences of the pandemic lockdown were loss of mobility and loss of social connectivity. In-person classes were banned. Gyms and recreational facilities were closed. Residents and members were urged to stay at home. Even daily walks fell by the wayside. Like many active-aging organizations, the following trio of providers used both creativity and ingenuity to find ways to engage, connect and support their constituents, including through the use of technology. WesleyLife embraced the broader community; Acts Retirement-Life Communities personalized fitness participation; and Encore Community Services engaged members with a virtual show.
moreBusiness profiles
Dr. Walter M. Bortz II: A tireless advocate of active aging by Kathie C. Garbe, PhD, MCHES, CSM
How long can we live? How long will humans live in the future? What can we do to live a longer and better quality of life? As professionals in the active-aging and wellness industry, what can we do to promote ways to live a higher quality of life for a longer time? I recently had the honor to interview Walter M. Bortz II, MD, a pioneer in the research of active and robust aging. Today, he is recognized as one of America's most renowned scientific experts on active aging, physical exercise and longevity. In our recent interview for the Journal on Active Aging, Dr. Bortz and I discussed the impact of physical activity on brain health; the current landscape of health, medicine and aging; the long-term impact of COVID-19; and the importance of educating people about health, among other topics.
moreGerontology
Seeking change: A vision from the past points the way to the future by Colin Milner
When the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) launched nearly 20 years ago (October 1, 2001), I envisioned a professional association that would bring people together across sectors to foster active, productive, healthy aging. I never imagined that in the years to follow I would have the opportunity to collaborate with many of the most innovative and influential minds of our times. From prime ministers to surgeons general, best-selling authors to titans of industry, and Nobel Laureates to a Pulitzer Prize winner, each in their own right has been a visionary thought leader, futurist, activist or change-maker who has dedicated their life to helping society reimagine its response to rapidly aging populations. So, I felt intrigued when an advance reading copy arrived of Dr. Ken Dychtwald's "sort-of-memoir," due to be published in April 2021. This book promised glimpses of how the author, researcher, active-aging guiding light, and CEO of the San Francisco-based consultancy Age Wave went from working-class roots in New Jersey to working with people like Senator John McCain and US Presidents Reagan, Carter and Clinton. Yet, in the end, what really captured my attention was a chapter featuring his 1978 interview with then-septuagenarian Maggie Kuhn. It turns out she was far ahead of her time. To me, the interview could have been done yesterday. It left me with an obvious question: Have we really changed the way we approach and respond to population aging, aging itself or the way we view aging?
moreCulture Change
How to develop a successful podcast by Colin Milner
Many organizations have reduced or frozen their marketing spend in 2020, and this trend may continue for some or all of 2021. Repercussions can come with that response. Research company Nielsen suggests that "long-term revenue can take a 2% hit for every [financial] quarter" that a brand doesn't advertise. Further, equity lost due to halted advertising will require three to five years to recover. What can you do if your marketing is curtailed? With podcast listening rising among all age groups last year, marketers can take advantage of numerous opportunities to connect with customers, potential and current [by creating a podcast]. Making it successful is job one. To provide you with guidance, I reached out to Kristen Meinzer, "one of the 22 most influential women in podcasting...."
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