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.
Creating therapeutic garden landscapes by Randy Eady, MEd, NCC
There are thousands upon thousands of healing gardens around the world. They’re situated in community gardens, retreat centers, wellness facilities, hospitals, universities, active-adult living spaces—even front yards. Increasingly, these gardens include interactive outdoor environments with traditional Chinese cobblestone paths, active-aging fitness features or maze-like configurations called labyrinths. Perhaps you’d like to add one to your location as well. But where do you start?
How about reorienting your view of what a healing garden space might be? Let’s put gardens on the functional path to making people more holistically fit, while offering the possibility for symptom relief for those with conditions such as balance disorders, restless legs syndrome or clinical depression.1,2,3,4,5 Sound challenging? Take a journey along the functional path and discover a world beyond traditional healing gardens.
Community design
The Summit: How Grand Prairie created its 'country club for the 50-plus' by Jenifer Milner
When the City of Grand Prairie, Texas, officially opened The Summit Adult Activity Center on June 18, 2010, the community was already deeply engaged with this “senior center of tomorrow” and eager to participate. Efforts to consult and communicate with the public about the new venue had helped create a sense of ownership and anticipation in community members over the years, and the building’s soft opening on May 22 allowed them to finally experience the facility. A flood of visits followed. And by the end of June, less than two weeks after the grand opening, Summit membership stood at about 3,800.
moreBusiness profiles
Whole body vibration, part one: what's shakin' now? by Joseph Signorile, PhD
Whole body vibration (WBV) has received considerable exposure as one of the new technical innovations in exercise. In my 2006 article “Whole body vibration training: a new wave in exercise intervention for older adults?” published in this journal, I reviewed the findings in the literature that examined the feasibility of using WBV as an intervention to address people’s needs as they age. A good deal of research has been done since that review, and this paper is intended to bring you up to date on the latest findings.
morePhysical wellness
ICAA's top 10 articles on marketing
To celebrate the International Council on Active Aging’s 10th Anniversary, the Journal on Active Aging® (JAA) is highlighting some articles that have graced the pages of ICAA publications in the last decade. Over the next year, each issue of the Journal will feature a “top 10” list of articles compiled by ICAA editors from the association’s extensive online archives. Every list will focus on a specific topic—and, for this issue, it’s marketing.
moreMarketing
Choosing strength-training equipment for older adults: the benefits and advantages of Universal Design by Wayne T. Phillips, PhD, FACSM
In recent years there has been an increasing focus on the value of maintaining and increasing independence for older adults. This has occurred across a broad spectrum of the aging market, including senior centers, community centers and fitness centers. This same focus has also been seen in a broad range of senior housing, particularly continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) and assisted living communities, where aging in place is a paramount aspiration. The positive contribution of exercise—particularly strength training—in maintaining and improving independence and quality of life is now unquestioned. As a result of this, fitness and community centers are increasingly looking to cater to an aging clientele, while strength training, “fitness rooms” and/or wellness centers are becoming an accepted part of senior housing facilities and programming focused on this population.
The type of equipment purchased can make a major contribution to the success of any strength-training program for older adults. At the most basic level, if equipment is attractive, safe and easy to use, classes and participation generally are far more likely to begin and to continue. However, choices and purchase decisions for strength equipment often need to be made by individuals who have little or no experience or expertise in the use or operation of such equipment by older adults. This article presents evidence-based principles and guidelines that will enable intelligent and appropriate equipment purchase decisions to be made. These guidelines provide a template for a professional assessment of the equipment’s safety, ease of use and appropriateness for the desired population.
Construction
Catch a current for shallow wave cardio-resistance training by Mary E. Sanders, PhD, FACSM, RCEP
When I first met Sandy, a 63-year-old retired woman, she weighed 285 lbs. and measured 50.7 % body fat. She also had a history of significant chronic knee pain. In fact, she was unable to perform any chair stands as a result of this pain. After Sandy completed all her physical therapy sessions, her healthcare providers told her there was nothing more they could do to help.
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