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.
Partnerships with schools: Establishing internships and service-learning programs by Kathie C. Garbe, PhD, MCHES
Every fall, spring and summer thousands of college and high school students will look for an internship or service-learning experience. Students seek real-world experience, understanding of different career choices, practicum hours and letters of recommendation to get into college or graduate school, potential jobs, or opportunities to complete service projects for classes. These activities fall under the concept of experiential education, or learning through experience outside of the classroom. Through internships and service-learning programs, students hope to integrate knowledge and skills gained through academic training and apply them to a real-life situation. Organizations that work with these programs experience positive outcomes as well as mutually beneficial rewards.
moreManagement
Casa Dorinda's paradigm shift connects a community
Located in the affluent coastal community of Montecito, California, Casa Dorinda has provided luxury retirement living for more than 40 years. The stand-alone nonprofit community is owned and operated by Montecito Retirement Association, which runs the lifecare program "with a commitment to excellence in the quality and quantity of its services ...," so residents may continue to live "with dignity, security and as independently and fully as they are able." Director of Life Enrichment Melissa Gill Hausz affirms the community's well-established commitment to resident wellness. She also points to unintentional barriers created by aligning staff responsible for life enrichment programs only with staff in their individual levels of care. A staff restructuring in 2013 gave Gill Hausz and her team the opportunity to shift this model through programming and campus-wide staff integration, the impact of which continues to grow organically. The Journal on Active Aging recently asked Gill Hausz to share her insights and experiences, as well as the impact of her community's efforts.
moreInnovator awards
'How to launch and live the best life-at any age by Jim Eastburn, BS
As we sat together and talked about changes Barbara wanted to make in her life, I noticed her eyes start to fill with tears. Our conversation was typical of so many I have experienced over the past 25 years with guests at the Canyon Ranch wellness resort in Tucson, Arizona. Barbara, soon to celebrate her 70th birthday, had been enjoying an active retirement .... Her goals for the week were typical: begin a regular exercise routine, lose a little weight, improve her sleep, cut back on alcohol, start meditating, and stop worrying so much about her grandkids. She had a few hurdles as well. Barbara had recent knee surgery, nagging back pain, and high blood pressure for which her doctor had just prescribed medication. So, what brought on the tears? After reviewing her goals and scheduling a personal-training session and nutrition consultation, Barbara turned to me and said, "Look, I know what I should be doing, but I'm just not doing it! What's wrong with me? Why can't I get my act together?" And, so began Barbara's journey of understanding what gets in the way of living her best life. This article invites readers to join Barbara's journey. We'll review insights and practices that better equip us to support our clients--and ourselves--in launching and living our best lives, at any age.
moreHealth promotion
Sunnyside's Wellness Scout program inspires resident wellness
"Sunnyside Communities has a history of supportive retirement living that began more than 100 years ago," states Annie Shaffer, wellness director at Sunnyside Retirement Community in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Sunnyside campus is one of three life-plan communities--King's Grant and Summit Square being the others--owned and operated by the faith-based nonprofit. It is also a community whose active-aging efforts have won recognition from the International Council on Active Aging. In fact, the Sunnyside community has garnered more ICAA Innovators Awards for its initiatives than any other organization since the awards program launched--all during Shaffer's tenure. Honoring Sunnyside's recent efforts, ICAA granted a 2017 ICAA Innovators Achievement Award to the community's Wellness Scout program. To find out more about the program, the Journal on Active Aging recently talked to Shaffer.
moreInnovator awards
'Happiness and health, part two: What you can do to boost happiness by Shirley Archer, JD, MA
I'm a happy person. An ex-boyfriend once told me, "You're happy because you don't have any problems." I told him, "You're unhappy because you don't know what a real problem is." That relationship didn't work out. But our conversation illustrates typical perceptions. Many people think happiness is something that comes to them, rather than something to create for themselves. Science now reveals that your efforts, including your mindset, exert a significant influence over your happiness. Researchers have broken down three distinct paths to happiness: positive emotions and pleasure, engagement, and meaning. Practices that boost happiness, therefore, increase experiencing and savoring pleasures, losing the self in engaging activities and participating in meaningful activities.
moreEmotional wellness
Diabetes in older adults: Should we worry? by Veronica Brady, PhD, MSN, FNP-BC, BC-ADM, CDE
Diabetes has plagued us for centuries. Today, however, we are experiencing a diabetes epidemic. ... Among Americans ages 65 and older, 12 million people--25.2% of this age group--have been diagnosed with diabetes. That number might appear high, but keep in mind that in 2015 an estimated 23.1 million adults ages 65+ had prediabetes, or 48.3% of this population, while only 14.1% were aware of the diagnosis. In fact, every year hundreds of thousands of new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in older Americans. And the risk of diabetes rises as we age.
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