Five initiatives recognized as ICAA’s 2011 Innovators

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Award-winning approaches support health, wellness and quality of life for older adults

VANCOUVER--The International Council on Active Aging® (ICAA), an association that leads, connects and defines the active-aging industry, is pleased to announce the recipients of the Ninth Annual ICAA Innovators Awards. Established in 2003, this awards program recognizes creativity and excellence in active aging, honoring innovations that are leading the way, setting new standards and making a difference in the lives of older adults. Offerings target any or all of the seven dimensions of wellness promoted by ICAA—namely, social, emotional, vocational, spiritual, intellectual, physical and environmental wellness.

The Innovators Award, one of three ICAA award categories, highlights programs and concepts that advance active aging. In 2011, the winners in this category include:

Brain Health University (Senior Lifestyle Corporation, Chicago, Illinois)
Taste of America (Asbury~Solomons Island, Solomons, Maryland)
Live and Learn (The Mayflower, Winter Park, Florida)
Man Cave (Atria Woodbridge, Irvine, California)
Somerby Tail-Wagger Treats (Somerby Senior Living, Birmingham, Alabama)

“Active-aging professionals and organizations support older adults in living well by providing opportunities to be more active and to learn, grow and participate in their communities,” says Colin Milner, ICAA’s founder and CEO. “This year’s ICAA Innovators are excellent examples of the creative approaches generated in the active-aging industry to enhance the health, well-being and quality of life of adults over 50. On behalf of ICAA, I congratulate everyone behind these efforts, and thank all those who entered the 2011 awards competition. We were gratified to learn about so many excellent programs, facilities and outreach for older adults, and encourage those who did not receive an award this year to submit an entry in 2012.”

Efforts to support healthier, more vital aging reinforce the message that “people can live as fully as possible throughout the life span,” Milner continues. “That’s an important message today, when population aging is overwhelmingly viewed as a challenge. If we stop looking at older adults through a lens of decline and diminished value, and instead see their untapped potential, we will realize population aging is an opportunity as well.”

Each award recipient will receive a crystal award of recognition to display, while individual in-depth profiles will appear in ICAA’s flagship publication, the Journal on Active Aging®, in 2012. In the meantime, brief descriptions of these award-winning approaches are available at www.icaa.cc/awards/pressreleases.htm.

Separately, ICAA will name the recipients of an additional two Innovators Award categories. These are the ICAA Innovative Solutions Award, presented for creative products/services that improve wellness for active older adults; and the ICAA Green Award, presented for organizational efforts that encourage environmental stewardship.

The winners of the ICAA Innovators Awards were selected based on the following five criteria:

Innovative. Is the program/initiative/plan different than what is currently being done in the field? Or, does it take a standard procedure and add an interesting new angle?

Pervasive. Did the program/initiative/plan expand into a comprehensive approach that engaged an entire organization or community?

Ambitious. Does the program/initiative/plan break new ground, achieve a stretch goal or represent a paradigm shift?

Measurable. Are there specific actions, numbers or other measures that demonstrate success?

Dazzling. Did the application contain information that is so unique or powerful that the judges respond with great appreciation?

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About the ICAA Innovators Awards program
Established in 2003, the ICAA Innovators Awards program honors excellence and creativity in the active-aging industry. ICAA’s awards are presented in three categories: ICAA Innovators Award, for programs and concepts that advance active aging; ICAA Innovative Solutions Award, for products and services that improve older-adult wellness; and ICAA Green Award, for environmental stewardship efforts. By recognizing cutting-edge programs, products and environments as well as those who developed or nurtured them, ICAA highlights solutions for industry leaders and governmental organizations to learn from. Award-winners work on inspiring new directions in older-adult health and wellness. Not only do they give us a glimpse into the trends shaping the future of active aging, they also show us that with the right opportunities and environments, older adults can live as fully as possible throughout the life span.

About the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA)
ICAA, the professional association that leads, connects and defines the active-aging industry, supports professionals who develop wellness facilities, programs and services for adults over 50. The association is focused on active aging-an approach to aging that helps older adults live as fully as possible within all dimensions of wellness-and provides its members with education, information, resources and tools. As an active-aging educator and advocate, ICAA has advised numerous organizations and governmental bodies, including the US Administration on Aging, the National Institute on Aging (one of the US National Institutes of Health), the US Department of Health and Human Services, Canada's Special Senate Committee on Aging, and the British Columbia ministries of Health, and Healthy Living and Sport. On October 1, 2011-the International Day of Older Persons-ICAA celebrated its 10th Anniversary and a decade of Changing the Way We Age®.

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For interviews please contact:

Contact: Colin Milner, CEO, ICAA
Toll-free: 1-866-335-9777 (North America)
Telephone: 604-734-4466; cell: 604-763-4595
colinmilner@icaa.cc

Contact: Marilynn Larkin
Communications Director, ICAA
212-315-3301
mlarkin@icaa.cc