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.
Meditation and mindfulness: designing wellness programs for the mind, body and spirit by Jim Concotelli, PhD, MSW
Medical research continually reminds us of the many health benefits of exercise and shows us that physical activity can preserve function and enhance independence. But few of us realize that the wellness activities people choose can produce a host of unexpected benefits.
As millions of mature adults take a positive and active approach to their personal health, the most successful are those who adopt a whole-person wellness model, addressing the needs of the body, mind and spirit. Two practices that offer such multidimensional wellness benefits are meditation and mindfulness. By choosing mindfulness and integrating meditation into their lives, older adults can discover even greater health and vitality, as well as deeper spiritual awareness.
Program design
Advance to Wellness: supporting healthier lifestyles in older adults
California-based Secure Horizons, which has more than 20 years experience in providing health plan options to Medicare beneficiaries, recently introduced a program to promote vital living among its members. Acquired in 2006 by United HealthCare, one of the largest healthcare companies in the United States, Secure Horizons is now part of the health management organization SecureHorizons by UnitedHealthcare, and continues to focus on Medicare customers. This new enterprise unveiled the Advance to Wellness (ATW) program in early 2006 to help its members develop healthier habits and incorporate prevention strategies into their lives.
moreInnovator awards
The pinnacle of programming: NuStep salutes older adult wellness programs
In the Senior Living Community category, the panel bestowed the 2007 Pinnacle Award on United Presbyterian Home, a retirement community in Iowa that provides a continuum of care. Staff at United Presbyterian Home use their creativity to develop wellness offerings for residents. The organization’s intergenerational approach to wellness is especially effective. United Presbyterian Home provides an on-site daycare facility for employees—dubbed UP With Kids Daycare—and integrates the children into its restorative health programs, to keep residents in a youthful state of mind. Other offerings include a wellness and fitness center, home healthcare services, and walking and social groups.
moreProgram profiles
The Life Fitness Circuit Series: promoting strength training for all ages and abilities
What is North America’s most inventive new fitness equipment for active older adults? The International Council on Active Aging® (ICAA) set out to discover just that for its fourth annual Industry Innovators Awards. In the end, the Circuit Series strength line from Life Fitness won the award panel’s vote for the 2006 ICAA Industry Equipment Innovator. This line of equipment helps people of all ages and functional levels increase their muscle size and strength, supporting healthy living for everyone.
moreInnovator awards
How to solicit donations for Active Aging Week events by Cynthia Roth
You’re a host site for Active Aging Week. Congratulations! You recognize the value of promoting a healthy lifestyle to adults ages 50 and older, and you are savvy enough to know that hosting Active Aging Week events may boost your participation levels. By now, you may have made a blueprint of all the fantastic programs you will offer. Now comes the tricky part. How will you attract participants?
moreSpecial events
Exercise for overweight older adults: an easy approach to reducing joint stress by Amy Ashmore, PhD
All people over 40 years of age show some signs of degenerative joint disease.1 This is because cartilage deteriorates naturally with age and “wear and tear”. But the severity of joint disease varies from person to person based on a number of lifestyle and genetic factors.
Age is a significant contributor to the development of joint disease. Estimates based on 2003–2005 data suggest that 46.4 million adults report doctor-diagnosed arthritis, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As America ages, this figure could increase to 67 million by 2030.2 Canada’s federal health department also projects the number of people with arthritis (and other rheumatic conditions) to rise as the population ages—from 4 million in 2000 to 6.4 million by 2026, an increase of 54%.3 Aging, however, is just one trend pointing to a greater prevalence of arthritis.
