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.
Topic- Rebranding aging
The aging market: Tips to engage and support an evolving consumer by Martyn Bryson, Larissa Long and Sydney Murphy, MS
Aging looks a lot different today than it did even 20 years ago. As more people live longer, many older adults are working past retirement age and staying active, productive, social and purposeful in their later years. How can we, as active-aging professionals, promote healthy longevity and foster wellness in life's various dimensions for all in this expanding life stage? And how can we, as a society, better meet the needs of today's aging adults and support their potential to grow, participate and engage fully in life? In this article, experts discuss pillars for living well throughout the lifespan, ideas for rethinking aging and pointers for marketing that aligns better with this diverse market.
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Deconstructing 'old': Implications for society and the active-aging industry by Marilynn Larkin, MA
It's no secret that people today are living longer, healthier lives than in any previous generation. From a longevity standpoint, the world was home to nearly half a million centenarians in 2015, more than four times as many as in 1990. Projections suggest there will be 3.7 million centenarians across the globe in 2050. The number of people 80 years and older is projected to increase steadily as well, tripling from 143 million in 2019 to 426 million in 2050. From a health and wellness standpoint-and more to the point for the active-aging industry-that longevity is accompanied by changing expectations not only of what it means to grow older, but what needs and aspirations will change along with these demographics, notes International Council on Active Aging founder/CEO Colin Milner. "We're at a crossroads in the field of aging where our perceptions and reality are finally catching up to what science shows-namely, that we are much more capable than was previously thought," Milner states. We have a new normal, a first step towards deconstructing a concept of aging built on stereotypes of dependency and decline. What it means for the active-aging industry is change."
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Ortrude White: A community learns the power of participation by Lisa Kiely, BFA, CPT, CAD, CEHA
As an active-aging strategist at Lenbrook, a Georgia life-plan community in the heart of Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood, I work with my team to plan and coordinate events with and for our residents. Many of these events involve unique performances, special lectures or interesting activities that I always try to capture on film or video. One day in 2016, when my scheduled photographer did not show up, I asked Lenbrook resident Myles Smith, an accomplished photographer, to help out. Little did I know this simple request would, in time, make a meaningful difference in the lives of Myles and his wife Ortrude, as well as to our community.
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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.
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ICAA Champion: Introducing Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown "is a living testament to the power and potential of the human spirit," says Atria Senior Living’s Gigi Mauter. Brown, who will turn 80 next year, moved to Atria's community in San Juan Capistrano, California, in 1994. A stroke five years earlier had left him completely paralyzed on the right side of his body and unable to speak or walk. He was 52 years old at the time. "Bruce's passion for life, even in the midst of great loss, is an inspiration to those struggling under the weight of life's blows and challenges," states Mauter.
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ICAA Champion: Introducing On Top of the World Communities
Set amid the rolling hills and thoroughbred horse farms of Ocala in Marion County, Florida, On Top of the World Communities is home to approximately 9,000 adults ages 55 and older. The 13,000-acre community, part of the Circle Square cattle ranch, caters to the active adult with more than 410,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor amenity space. Fitness Director Cammy Dennis and her team “are tasked with bringing this space to life.” Dennis believes that “aging actively is about embracing a lifestyle that allows someone to look and move forward.”
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