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.
Robots: Enabling wellness, independence and enhanced quality of life by Marilynn Larkin, MA
"I define successful aging as being able to do what you want, when you want, where you want and with whom you want," says Wendy Rogers, PhD, an internationally known researcher in the area of technology and aging, and director of the Human Factors & Aging Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A cognitive psychologist by training, she pursued her interest in how older adults learn and use new technologies for close to 20 years at Georgia Institute of Technology. The Journal on Active Aging recently spoke with Dr. Rogers, who is also an ICAA member, about her research on how robots can support successful aging, what's "out there" now with regard to these devices, and what's to come.
moreIndustry development
Wellness technologies: The next generation by Marilynn Larkin, MA
It's official. The time has come to overturn the stereotype that older adults aren't interested in technology and are afraid of it. All the data disprove it. According to a February 2018 AARP report, "Getting Connected: Older Americans Embrace Technology to Enhance Their Lives," 92% of adults over age 50 use a computer or laptop, 70% use a smartphone, and more than 43% use a tablet. And, 91% of those with these devices say they use technology to stay in touch with friends and family. This article explores seven "next generation" technologies with Lilian Myers, longevity economy consultant, and Andrew Carle, MHSA, longtime advocate of technology for senior living, to help JAA readers better understand these technologies and how they may support wellness.
moreIndustry development
BikeAround: Making memories accessible and world travel feasible for all by Marilynn Larkin, MA
Shortly after George Fermanis started The Fermanis Group, a Canadian consultancy that advises and invests in companies aiming to improve the lives of older adults, a colleague sent him a video about BikeAround. "I was convinced this technology could have practical applications in older-adult communities throughout Canada," Fermanis says. BikeAround consists of a large dome and a cycling unit with sensors embedded in the pedals. It integrates Google Street View, a technology that provides panoramic views of many natural wonders and landmarks, as well as specific streets worldwide. The user sits in the cycling unit and pedals and steers. That same speed and motion are displayed in the dome, offering a user-controlled immersive experience in the environment of choice. The streets and views displayed also can be controlled via computer by another individual-a staff member in a community, for example-to facilitate use by people with mobility impairments.
moreEmotional wellness
Piedmont Gardens creates a horticultural space with a healthy purpose
California's San Francisco Bay Area is among the most desirable and diverse places to live in the United States--and generations of its citizens have chosen Piedmont Gardens as their home. Located in what Recreation Therapist Tanya Roscoe calls "a vibrant, culturally diverse community in North Oakland," the life-plan community has welcomed the East Bay's older adults for almost 50 years. Yet, there's nothing dated about its appeal. Oakland Magazine recently named Piedmont Gardens as the Readers' Choice for "Best in Senior Living" in its "Best of Oakland and the East Bay 2018" roundup. Earlier this year, the Village--Piedmont Gardens' skilled nursing section--earned a national five-star quality rating from the federal government's Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The Village's Honeybee Sanctuary and Rooftop Garden also garnered Piedmont Gardens the 2017 ICAA Innovators Green Award.
moreEnvironmental wellness
A healthy microbiome equals healthy aging by Tereza Hubkova, MD
More than a hundred years ago, Russian microbiologist and immunologist Ilya Ilich Metchnikoff attributed the longevity of Bulgarian peasants to their consumption of kefir. Kefir, as he noted, contained Lactobacillus bulgaricus, a bacterium-producing lactic acid lending the beverage its sour taste. How much of Metchnikoff's observation of the anti-aging effects of friendly microbes--or probiotics--is true? And, does illness and death truly begin in the colon? The human body can be described as a "meta-organism"--a hybrid of some 30 trillion human cells with another estimated 100 trillion bacteria, fungi, protozoa, archaea and viruses. In other words, for each native cell in the human body, we play host to three-or-more symbiotic microbial cells. Who do you think runs the show?
moreGerontology
'Inviting difficult conversation by Karen Woodard Chavez
Let's start with a moment of truth. When someone tells you, "We need to talk," what is your first response? Is it, "Absolutely--what would you like to discuss?" Or do you experience a sinking feeling of dread and respond with some version of "What did I do wrong?" Similarly, what do you feel when you're the one saying, "We need to talk"? If you are more inclined to avoid difficult conversations than invite them, you should realize that you are trading short-term comfort for long-term dysfunction. For the best long-term results, you must be brave enough to start a conversation that matters. Otherwise, you will constantly repeat what you do not repair.
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