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.
ICAA–The next decade: A transformative trend will drive a changing industry by Colin Milner
I am thrilled, honored and humbled to share that October 1, 2021, marks the International Council on Active Aging's 20th anniversary! I look back on the many "firsts" in our journey to grow and unite the active-aging industry: defining "active aging" as a differentiator for senior living and organizations working with older adults; incorporating "functional capacity" as a pillar of healthy aging; embracing "older adults" as a heterogeneous population that spans a wide range of capabilities, interests and aspirations; and promoting a more comprehensive concept of wellness as culture. While it feels great to reflect on where we've come from and the progress we've made in building upon this foundation, I am laser-focused now on where we're going. Notable trends are emerging and converging to shape the industry moving forward. Driving all these trends is one overarching trend transforming the industry's future: the ascendence of the person-centered model.
moreGerontology
The "health data economy": Marketing connects interests and lifestyle to improve health by Colin Milner
What is the future of marketing? If you or I could answer that question with any accuracy, we would earn a lot of money. But is it an impossible task? Well, it's not implausible for us to find indicators to guide us. As an example, we know technology will continue to play a significant role in how we learn about products and services. Algorithms are already key. Whether we're on Facebook or Netflix, what we see is driven by algorithms that take our purchasing history and match new compelling options to gain our business. Some people see algorithms, as well as Internet cookies and other things that facilitate technology-based marketing, as Big Brother-like intrusions on their privacy; others welcome this marketing as a convenience. Many marketers see the benefits. ... With its focus on interests, such marketing is about delivering the right content, service or product at the right moment. But what if the future of marketing is not just about our interests? What if it's about how those interests interact with our lifestyles to improve health and well-being? According to S. Jay Olshansky, PhD, a focus on enhancing health and well-being will drive the "health data economy," and the marketers who seek your business.
moreMarket opportunities
Vitality in action: It's time for Active Aging Week by Julie King, MS
Vim, vigor and variety are on full display during Active Aging Week, a yearly celebration that highlights aging today and the ability of adults 50+ to lead full, active lives. In 2021, the 19th annual observance takes place October 4-10. As Official Host Sites gear up for the week, others can still join the campaign by registering online and inviting individuals to their offerings. ... As the world continues to deal with pandemic challenges, now is a particularly important time to embrace the goals of Active Aging Week: to introduce healthier, active lifestyles to as many adults as possible and to encourage individuals to live as fully as possible in all of life's dimensions.
moreICAA initiatives
A city of "good and long life" by Julie King, MS
As the global population ages and life expectancies increase, cities around the world are facing the necessity of adapting their physical and social infrastructure and healthcare systems accordingly. Arnsberg, a city of 75,000 in western Germany, had the keen foresight more than 30 years ago to seek to deliberately and creatively enhance the lives of older adults. Its Department of Future Aging (DFA) came out of these beginnings, giving a focus and momentum to efforts. Today, Arnsberg serves as an insightful forerunner and role model for other cities.
morePublic policy
Wellness anchors the new model of senior living by Patricia Ryan, MS
There is no question that with the pandemic's arrival, all the staff and leadership at independent living, assisted living and memory care communities immediately took action to protect the health of residents and maintain their well-being. What is less certain is how communities will define themselves as they navigate through the starts and stops of emergence into life as the virus continues. For the senior living industry, the COVID-19 crisis has perversely created a major opportunity for reinvention. ... Responding to the ICAA Call to Action to reclaim health and well-being for older people by integrating wellness throughout organizational strategies and operations, thought leaders at the ICAA Forum May 2021 gathered to frame a new model of communities that will reach "middle income" individuals. Forum colleagues recognized that structuring amenities and services by the dimensions of wellness ... would reach a larger group of people at younger ages (about 70+) with solid incomes and streaks of independence.
moreIndustry development
Solo Agers: What senior living providers need to know by Sara Zeff Geber, PhD, CRC
In 2008, the United States Census Bureau reported that the rate of childlessness among women ages 40-44 reached 20% in 2006--double what it had been in 1976--after rising steadily for two decades. Turning to men, a 2019 agency report showed that in 2014 one in four males ages 40-50 was also childless. Relatively few men became fathers after 40. The Bureau referred to this point in the lives of men and women as "completed fertility." So, what do these statistics mean? A significant number of Boomers will not have adult children to help them with care or relocation if living independently becomes difficult or impossible. Further, geriatric specialist Maria Carney, MD, and colleagues determined in 2016 that approximately 22% of older Americans not only had no children but also no other family to turn to in a crisis. ... Although every generation includes people without children or family on whom they can rely, the prevalence of such individuals today makes this a seemingly new phenomenon.
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