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.
Exercise recommendations for older adults: an update by Nicole L. Rogers, PhD, and Michael E. Rogers, PhD, FACSM
Regular exercise has been shown to reduce the incidence of disability, increase the years of living independently, and improve the quality of life for older adults. A wealth of studies have found that regular exercise is associated with delayed all-cause mortality and a reduced chance of disability from diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, arthritis, diabetes, some forms of cancer, osteoporosis, and pulmonary disease. Exercise is also a valuable treatment for each of these conditions.
morePhysical wellness
Plastic bags + caring hands = new lives by Ruth Werstler, Garrett Kallenbach and Mary Moy
New Life for Old Bags (NLOB) is a community-based project for the homeless that helps the environment and improves the lives of all who are involved. It helps the environment by reusing plastic bags; it aids homeless persons by providing them with a sleeping mat; and it is a meaningful activity for the people who make the mats.
As volunteers in NLOB, participants cut plastic bags into strips to make plastic yarn (“plarn”), which is crocheted to make sleeping mats. In Chicago, Cornerstone Community Outreach distributes the mats to people who are homeless. The need is great, as the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless estimates that in 2011–12 there were approximately 105,000 homeless people in the city of Chicago, where NLOB is based.
Program profiles
FUTURAGE: Can North America learn from Europe's road map for aging research? by Marilynn Larkin, MA
In October 2011, the European Commission launched the Road Map for European Ageing Research, the result of two years of collaborative efforts by the FUTURAGE project team. That team, under the leadership of Alan Walker, professor of social policy and social gerontology at the United Kingdom’s University of Sheffield, brought together 24 partners, 14 European countries, and more than 700 individual and organizational stakeholders. The resulting road map, according to FUTURAGE, “aims to tackle the grand challenge of Europe’s ageing population and provide the research agenda for ageing over the next 10 years.”
morePublic policy
Life in balance: Planning a balance-training program by Antonio Galvan, Jr.
It can be a daunting task to develop a comprehensive and effective balance-training program. As practitioners who work with people who can certainly benefit from fall prevention strategies and techniques, it is our professional responsibility to have programs in place that can assist with this mission.
moreBalance training
The Media's Portrayal of Ageing by Colin Milner, Kay Van Norman, Jenifer Milner
Has the media’s portrayal of ageing influenced society’s views and responses to population ageing? And if so, why? What messages do the mass media send to society about the later years of life?
moreGerontology
Rhythm in the round by Candy Davis
You’ve probably read all the great press on rhythm events—a broad category that includes everything from exploring improvisational vocalization, body percussion, and the use of found objects, to formal drum circles and even drumming classes with local artists. Many event coordinators may not realize that creating rhythm together allows participants to experience all seven dimensions of wellness in a single activity, including occupational and environmental.
You’re eager to start a rhythm circle at your facility, but frankly, you consider it hopeless because you are a non-musician (and so are most of your clients), so you’ve backed away from the idea. And anyway, whose budget could support buying a lot of instruments, let alone bringing in a professional facilitator once a week?
