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.
Is hospice on your bucket list? by Kimberly Baumgarten, RN, FCN, with Mary E. Sanders, PhD, CDE, ACSM-RCEP, FACSM
When the call came for me to fly home to Indiana, I knew things were critical. My father had contracted Legionnaires pneumonia. He was 77 years old, in poor health and on a ventilator in a hospital's intensive care unit. When I arrived, I instantly went into nursing mode, praying that logic might win over a daughter's fear. I sat down next to my father, watching the monitors--but I knew he was in trouble. From what I was seeing, this man was going to die. At best, he might stay alive a month or two while remaining on a ventilator. As I talked to the doctor about what I was seeing and thinking, he responded in the truest nature of an ICU physician, beginning with all that had been done for my father and what the next step was. I stopped him and asked, "Will this save my father's life or just prolong the inevitable?" The doctor hung his head and said, "Prolong" ... My father made the choice [to remove the ventilator] and we honored it by changing to hospice-based care. ... Trauma or peace? In facing end-of-life experiences, we all may plan the memory we want to leave and support others in planning their own.
moreGerontology
Making the mind matter by Lawrence Biscontini, MA
As we continue to unlock the power of the mind, the concept of mindfulness grows as a hot topic of research in the active-aging industry. Our mental outlook truly sets our tone about, and attitude towards, what we can achieve in our lives, because a positive outlook includes making positive choices. Since the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that our very choices are more important than pharmacology and exercise combined, the right mindful approach to each day proves key to aging positively.
moreEmotional wellness
Trends in technology purchases by Patricia Ryan, MS
In the active-aging industry, there are two sides to every story. One point of view is that of 50+ consumers who seek the products and services that are compatible with their lifestyles or needs. The other side of the story is voiced by professionals who provide those products and services in all types of locations--senior living communities and private homes, apartments and parks, community centers and clubs. Awareness of the interests of the 50+ consumer was high among the professionals who answered the ICAA Active-Aging Industry Development Survey earlier this year. The consensus, when the ICAA team looked at trends, was that Boomers and technology are top of mind.
moreICAA initiatives
Activity trackers: What's all the fuss about these small yet significant devices? by Carol Kennedy-Armbruster, PhD
Millions of people of all ages are reaching for activity trackers (ATs) to help them increase their activity levels. These trackers, examples of wearable technology, are offered in a variety of forms and styles by companies such as Fitbit and Garmin, but all are designed to encourage wearers to move more and sit less. Recent research indicates that ATs may help users increase their physical activity levels through a combination of information, physical cues and behavioral techniques such as goal-setting, social support and motivational rewards.
moreMotivation
Technologies to connect socially: Seven profiles of products, programs and providers by Tammy Ditmore
In 1998, Jack York's friend Leslie Sweeney talked him into donating computers to an assisted-living community in California. There, York was startled to discover how "disconnected and lonely" the residents were and disheartened because he knew conventional technology couldn't help much. So Leslie, Jack and his brother Tom launched It's Never 2 Late (iN2L) in 1999 with the idea that people deserve interaction no matter how old they are. York says they spent a decade or so trying to "figure out what we were doing." Eventually, iN2L learned how to integrate hardware, software, videos, music and personal components into an adaptive computer system now used in more than 2,500 senior living communities in the United States and other countries.
moreProgram profiles
Perspectives: What's happening in technology for aging adults by Liz Seegert
It was only 10 years ago that the first Apple iPhone debuted and we could hold a computer in the palm of our hand. In less than a decade, we’ve developed amazing advances that allow us to experience virtual reality through a pair of glasses, smart chips that track our movements down to a few meters, and integrated health technology that allows a surgeon in California to assist in a complex procedure in Florida. Like the Boomers who helped invent many of these advances, technology is having a huge impact on the active-aging industry. However, some experts say the industry isn't keeping pace with need.
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