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's top 10 articles on vocational wellness
The Journal on Active Aging® is celebrating the International Council on Active Aging’s 10th Anniversary with a nod to articles published by ICAA over the past decade. Throughout the year, each journal issue will highlight the “top 10” articles on a specific topic, all of which are accessible to ICAA members in the association’s online archives. The topic for this issue is vocational wellness. Articles in this category include overviews and programs on working, volunteering and skills.
moreVocational wellness
Brain Health University: giving older adults tools to protect cognitive function
In 2002, to support healthier, more fulfilling lives for residents, SLC focused on the meaning of wellness for this population. “The basis for our quest was the World Health Organization’s publication on the six dimensions of wellness,” says RonnDa Peters, vice president of marketing. “David Koelling, vice president of corporate operations, and Terry Fay, corporate director of resident programs, led the charge to package a wellness-focused environment using the six dimensions—physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual and vocational—into a signature program, Fit for Life” (since rebranded Wellness Everyday™). The program received an ICAA Industry Innovators Award in 2003.
moreInnovator awards
Rebranding Aging: the next chapter by G. Richard Ambrosius, MA, and Helen Foster
The emergence in 1989 of the “new customer majority”—adults ages 50 and older today—left advertisers and marketers up the proverbial creek with no paddle to guide them back to the mainstream consumer population. From an advertising and marketing perspective, this shift meant everything learned about consumer behavior quickly became irrelevant. Texts for these professions were all written to target the young that had ruled the marketplace for decades. The behavior of the youth markets of yesterday, however, was much different from that of the older consumers who now are the adult majority.
moreIndustry development
Responsibilities and compensation for the wellness workforce by Patricia Ryan, MS
Within any organization, it is the people who deliver the products and services. Whatever buildings, technology, programs or furnishings are in place, the workforce is responsible for creating a customer experience that delivers those products or services in a welcoming and engaging atmosphere.
moreICAA initiatives
Set your Active Aging Week journey in motion
Each September, Active Aging Week® brings a myriad of wellness opportunities to age 50-plus adults in communities across North America. The annual health promotion event is a time for individuals to explore activities that support vibrant and healthy living in a safe, supportive environment. These experiences may lead to their discovering activities they value—and perhaps meaningful new directions, too.
moreICAA initiatives
Roundup of events from Active Aging Week
The month of September has many things to recommend it, and a highlight is Active Aging Week. A program of the International Council on Active Aging, this annual health promotion event supports local hosts who customize their offering to each location. The rules? Keep it fun, make it educational, and cover the cost yourself, as much as possible, so money is not a barrier.
Programmers in seniors centers, retirement communities, wellness centers, parks and recreation and other service providers are very creative in blending in special events with tried-and-true offerings. An ongoing challenge is to make the “needed” activities (think exercise and eating more vegetables) as desirable as the “wanted” activities (travel and deserts).
