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.
One bad apple can spoil an industry's reputation by Debra J. Schmidt
There is a lot of value in joining a professional or trade association. Membership can enhance your marketing efforts, increase the visibility of your business, create networking opportunities, provide professional development opportunities, and elevate your credibility. But in order to reap the rewards of belonging to an association, you must take your membership responsibilities seriously.
moreLeadership
Health and Happiness-Sex and the Older Adult
In 2006, Baltimore County Department of Aging (BCDA) unveiled a health promotion initiative to tackle a little-addressed area in the active aging industry: sex education. What prompted the campaign, entitled Health and Happiness–Sex and the Older Adult? According to Arnold Eppel, BCDA’s director, the initiative was the department’s “response to the National Institute on Aging’s report citing the growth in HIV/AIDS cases among adults ages 50 and older.” Eppel, known for his vision and cutting-edge ideas, saw an unfulfilled need. “As life expectancy increases and life circumstances change, single older adults are re-entering the dating world without being properly educated about the risk factors and prevention of HIV,” he explains. To find out more, the Journal on Active Aging® asked Eppel to describe the Maryland county’s initiative for readers.
moreHealth promotion
The journey toward personal training older adults by Terry Ferebee Eckmann, PhD
The rapid growth of the older adult population has increased the need for personal trainers qualified to design exercise programs for these clients. Aging Baby Boomers have shown a strong desire to look good, stay healthy, and have a high level of physical fitness. And more elders from earlier generations, who are living longer lives, are aware of the impact of physical activity on health, independence, and the ability to function in daily life. As a result, today’s age 50-plus adults often hire personal trainers because they want to learn how to perform exercises correctly. They want to make a wise investment of time and money to get the most out of their exercise experience.
moreCareer development
Why foot health is vital to physically active aging by Rick Mende, MBA, BA
Exercise. Work. Leisure activities. Or day-to-day routines. If people are mobile, most of the activities in which they participate require contact between the ground and their feet. As a result, the condition of their feet may largely determine whether or not they can be physically active and enjoy their activity—both when they are younger, and especially as they age. Yet it’s more difficult to maintain good foot health than health and wellness professionals might think.
morePhysical wellness
Why customers get angry even when you're nice by Debra J. Schmidt
Dealing with customers is one of the most stressful jobs around. Customers can be unpredictable, impatient and even downright rude at times. But it’s not entirely their fault. Overall, customers are fed up with receiving poor service practically everywhere they go. Often, they’re ready to take their frustrations out on you before you even pick up the phone or greet them. There are a number of reasons why customers get angry even when you’re trying to be nice.
moreCustomer service
Positive psychology: a new way to support wellness in older adults? by Marge Coalman, EdD
What would you pay or do to be happy? It’s an intriguing question—one that has been studied, evaluated and marketed for a very long time.
In the annals of history, the pursuit of happiness goes back to ancient times. Aristotle, Abraham, Buddha, Solomon and other ancient scholars wrote about the impact of a positive outlook supported by life choices and creeds that provided the road map to well-being. In the 20th century, Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers and Erich Fromm developed successful theories and practices that became the foundation of many psychology classes in universities worldwide, and that are still taught today. The newest research focus as of the last years of the previous century is positive psychology, defined as the study of positive emotion, positive character, and positive institutions (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Leading researchers are convinced that interventions and strategies can, and do, influence an individual’s aptitude for happiness. The other side of the positive psychology coin is skepticism.
