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.
Connected communities: A differentiator for sales, a boon for residents and staff by Marilynn Larkin, MA
Technology companies targeting older adults are finding a fertile testing ground in active-aging communities. In the January/February 2018 issue of the Journal on Active Aging, we reported on Maplewood Senior Living's experience piloting the Rendever virtual-reality software. In this column, we learn how and why Carlsbad, California-based Kisco Senior Living has embraced K4Connect. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, K4Connect provides "connected-life" technology that integrates in-home automation, health and wellness products, and social engagement services for residents and their families.
moreProgram profiles
Embracing wellness: NuStep Pinnacle Award winners find keys to engagement
How do we best promote quality of life for older adults? Increasingly, organizations devoted to this mission find answers to this question in a culture of whole-person wellness. NuStep, LLC, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, presents its NuStep Pinnacle Award every year to groups whose efforts engage older adults in making wellness their way of life. Established in 1998, the Pinnacle Award highlights organizations that successfully integrate whole-person wellness into their settings and develop an organizational culture of wellness. Embracing wellness as an all-encompassing culture allows Pinnacle winners to respond to the changing needs of individuals and engage them in leading healthier, more vibrant lives.
moreCulture Change
Aging with grace: Jane Friedman models a wonderful way to live by Maestro David Dworkin, MA
I am honored and humbled to have served as an ICAA Master Champion since 2011. Through my national and international travels presenting the Conductorcise program, I champion ICAA's mission of "Changing The Way We Age." I have had the opportunity to meet elders across the ranges of age and health status--all amazing human beings in their own unique ways. And as I converse with those in their 80s, 90s, and 100 and beyond, I find they have many commonalities that make them all champions in successful aging. In December 2017 I viewed a YouTube video featuring Jane Friedman, a resident of R.H. Myers Apartments at Menorah Park, Beachwood, Ohio, whose attitude inspired me. In the video Jane sings a Hilarious Song about Getting Old. I felt compelled to reach out.
moreEmotional wellness
Sleep power: Everyone needs their "zzzs" to function at their best
There's no question that getting a good night's sleep regularly is good for you, your staff and your constituents. "Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury," said M. Safwan Badr, MD, a past president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), at the 2014 launch of "Sleep Well, Be Well," a campaign of the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project. Yet many people--more than half in a recent AARP/University of Michigan national poll--believe that poor sleep is a normal part of aging, and as a result, they don't seek information on how to improve sleep. But experts agree that many sleep problems--even chronic ones--can be helped by nondrug strategies and behavior changes.
moreGerontology
The Mediterranean Diet: A way of eating for the ages and for the aging by Sara Baer-Sinnott, MA
It seems fitting that as the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid celebrated its 25th anniversary in January 2018, it was also honored as the number one overall diet in America by US News & World Report's annual ranking (tied with the DASH diet). It wasn't always that way. In the early 1990s Americans were clamoring for "no-fat" or "low-fat" foods created by food manufacturers anxious to capitalize on the United States government's low-fat dietary policy. To provide a healthy, research-backed alternative to the US Department of Agriculture's food pyramid, Oldways brought together nutrition scientists, public policy experts, chefs, and food writers for the 1993 International Conference on the Diets of the Mediterranean. The outcome was the first Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, introduced in 1993. Since that time, the diet has become one of the most widely recommended in the world, supported by physicians and nutrition professionals alike. Best of all, it is easy to follow, as it celebrates rich flavors and delicious recipes.
moreNutrition
"Stepping Up Your Nutrition": Highlighting the impact of nutrition for falls prevention
Good nutrition is vital to healthy aging--that's one of the foundational beliefs in active aging. Among the ways in which a nutritious diet contributes to healthy aging, falls prevention is one that active-aging professionals may overlook and older adults may not realize. A public-private partnership has created Stepping Up Your Nutrition(TM), a program to educate individuals ages 50 and older about nutrition and its impact on fall risks.
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