Articles Search Result
Beaming brightly: ICAA Nustep Beacon Award winners radiate exceptional cultures of wellness by Julie King, MS
In a year like no other, 2020 presented senior living communities throughout North America with myriad challenges to deliver multidimensional wellness to residents and staff. And yet, fueled by commitment, creativity and "can-do" attitude, providers cultivated novel opportunities that empowered individuals to enhance their well-being and quality of life amid a global pandemic. For the second consecutive year, the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) and NuStep, LLC, a leading manufacturer of recumbent cross-trainers, have recognized 25 communities as the "Best in Wellness" for fostering an exceptional culture and serving as examples of excellence. The 2020 ICAA NuStep Beacon Award winners deserve special credit for persevering in the face of unprecedented obstacles and ongoing changes. ... The top five communities also earn the prestigious ICAA NuStep Pinnacle Award, which signifies exemplary wellness performance. Here we share a glimpse of what makes these role models so successful at enriching lives throughout their communities.
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Taking a digital dive into the lives of "Active Aging consumers" by Jeff Weiss
As a company with a mission to break the myths and to crush the stereotypes around aging, we see examples every day of the older population embracing a digital life. This should surprise no one. The older population has grown up with tech and, in many ways, has had to adapt to the rapid pace of digital change as much as anyone--going from typewriters and dial phones in childhood, to cordless phones and computers in youth or adulthood, to mobile Bluetooth and Wi-Fi-enabled devices in mid- or later-life. Still, cold hard numbers talk--especially for skeptical marketers--so Age of Majority saw an opportunity to help quantify the digital experience of adults we term "Active Aging consumers," or Active Agers (that is, people ages 55+ who are digitally, socially, mentally and physically active). ... [W]e undertook one of our most comprehensive research efforts to date to map out the digital landscape among Active Agers. ... The findings will likely be a wake-up call to marketers who underestimate the role of digital devices in the lives of the older population as a means of serving and engaging this group.
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Better together: Covenant Living navigates COVID with community and communication by Jana Decker by BS
Covenant Living Communities and Services is rooted in ministry. Our Illinois-based organization has served older adults as an outreach ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church since 1886. That year, our flagship community, Covenant Home of Chicago (known at the time as the Home of Mercy) was founded to provide care "to the sick, to orphaned children and to the frail elderly." Today, as a nonprofit provider of senior services and among the largest seniors housing providers in the United States, Covenant Living serves 5,400 residents at 17 retirement communities in 9 states. Our continuing care communities offer independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care and rehabilitation services. In March 2020, after more than 130 years of growth and change (and 100+ years since the Spanish Flu), our organization suddenly and unexpectedly found itself on the brink of a pandemic. We kicked into action immediately as COVID-19 shutdowns took place, knowing that the health and safety of our residents is the highest priority. Initially, that meant residents sheltering in place with no access to the many amenities that were part of normal life. Days turned into weeks, and like many other organizations, we realized this crisis situation was not a passing storm. The pandemic was not going away any time soon. It was clear our organization urgently needed to redirect focus to long-term solutions for supporting and engaging residents within the parameters of COVID.
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A time to build: Now is the time to reclaim wellness (includes "ICAA Call to Action: Reclaim wellness for older people")
As the world's populations cautiously emerge from a year of restrictions and lockdowns, no one believes that life will return to the way it was before COVID-19 shifted reality. But during this transformative time, organizations and agencies can seize the opportunity to move beyond crisis management and develop a new, vibrant model to meet the needs and lifestyles of today's older adult. "Now is the time that we can come together to reclaim our lives and businesses," says Colin Milner, founder and CEO of the International Council on Active Aging. ICAA has issued a Call to Action to inspire this transformation, urging its members, associates and society at large to heed the call. Just as in October 2001 when ICAA set out to lead, define and connect the active-aging industry, the association encourages everyone to embrace these opportunities and advance a model that fosters the strength and resilience to live well.
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For Brain Fitness Academy, the pandemic led to a new, successful product by Sara Woodard, MHSA, and Annette Kelly, PhD, ARNP
In March 2020, Brain Fitness Academy (BFA) program sites, like so many others, were forced to close due to COVID-19. The Florida nonprofit's familiar in-person model became unavailable to its members almost overnight. Unbeknownst to the organization at that point, the closure would lead to quick, agile thinking and creativity, which combined to spark development of a new product that is now a permanent part of BFA's offerings. Headquartered in Winter Park, Florida, BFA strives to maximize the lives of individuals with mild cognitive impairment/early dementia living in the community through a curriculum- based program that highlights capabilities and focuses on success in a safe, supportive environment. Having heard many times from members that BFA is the highlight of their week, we recognized immediately that closing or interrupting the program was not an option. The team, with the guidance of cofounder Peggy Bargmann, RN, immediately went to the drawing board to come up with a solution to keep the members engaged and connected. Our research included seeking advice from our trusted academic partners as well as other experts. We worked collaboratively to explore the best solutions for delivery of our program in a virtual format.
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Casa Dorinda's "Meet Your Neighbor" initiative introduces residents to each other via video by Marilynn Larkin, MA
When the pandemic struck and effectively isolated Casa Dorinda's on- and off-campus residents from the surrounding communities and from each other, the entertainment committee cochairs of the Montecito, California-based life-care community sprang into action. They came up with an innovative and compelling video project, Meet Your Casa Dorinda Neighbor, which has had a positive impact on residents, staff and sales, and will be part of the organization's array of services going forward, according to Director of Life Enrichment Melissa Gill Hausz. Pre-pandemic, the community's entertainment committee members were in part responsible for greeting new residents, inviting them to dinners and social events, and introducing them to current residents. As it became clear in March 2020 that social activities would effectively shut down, the committee's cochairs proposed the video initiative. "The Life Enrichment team felt it would be a wonderful way for residents to not only see each other, but to learn about each other at a time when they couldn't meet in person and have conversations face-to-face," Hausz says. "The plan was approved, and everyone got to work!"
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Embracing nature, parks and outdoor spaces to age well: COVID-19 and beyond by Pazit Levinger, PhD, and Keith Hill, PhD
As the United Nation's Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030) commences, active-aging advocates may look back on 2020 as a year that illuminated the real-world importance of healthy aging. Older people have been adversely impacted by the current coronavirus pandemic, with a high proportion of deaths reported in those ages 65 and over. A new study from Kaiser Permanente, a California-based integrated healthcare system, suggests that physical activity levels are a significant factor in COVID-19 outcomes. Physical activity is a key lifestyle factor that positively impacts health and well-being across the life span, including in older age. Further, being physically active in the outdoors offers mental, physical and social health benefits for all age groups. In light of the pandemic, being outdoors also offers a safer option to engage in physical activity due to the lower transmission risk for the virus. Parks and outdoor leisure spaces are often designed...with little focus on the older demographic. It is timely to make sure the needs of older people are catered for in any future park refurbishments or new outdoor design. Seniors centers, retirement communities and other organizations that serve this population may also increase use of their outdoor spaces for activity through improvements.
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Pandemic innovations boost wellness
Among the earliest consequences of the pandemic lockdown were loss of mobility and loss of social connectivity. In-person classes were banned. Gyms and recreational facilities were closed. Residents and members were urged to stay at home. Even daily walks fell by the wayside. Like many active-aging organizations, the following trio of providers used both creativity and ingenuity to find ways to engage, connect and support their constituents, including through the use of technology. WesleyLife embraced the broader community; Acts Retirement-Life Communities personalized fitness participation; and Encore Community Services engaged members with a virtual show.
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Dr. Walter M. Bortz II: A tireless advocate of active aging by Kathie C. Garbe, PhD, MCHES, CSM
How long can we live? How long will humans live in the future? What can we do to live a longer and better quality of life? As professionals in the active-aging and wellness industry, what can we do to promote ways to live a higher quality of life for a longer time? I recently had the honor to interview Walter M. Bortz II, MD, a pioneer in the research of active and robust aging. Today, he is recognized as one of America's most renowned scientific experts on active aging, physical exercise and longevity. In our recent interview for the Journal on Active Aging, Dr. Bortz and I discussed the impact of physical activity on brain health; the current landscape of health, medicine and aging; the long-term impact of COVID-19; and the importance of educating people about health, among other topics.
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Seeking change: A vision from the past points the way to the future by Colin Milner
When the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) launched nearly 20 years ago (October 1, 2001), I envisioned a professional association that would bring people together across sectors to foster active, productive, healthy aging. I never imagined that in the years to follow I would have the opportunity to collaborate with many of the most innovative and influential minds of our times. From prime ministers to surgeons general, best-selling authors to titans of industry, and Nobel Laureates to a Pulitzer Prize winner, each in their own right has been a visionary thought leader, futurist, activist or change-maker who has dedicated their life to helping society reimagine its response to rapidly aging populations. So, I felt intrigued when an advance reading copy arrived of Dr. Ken Dychtwald's "sort-of-memoir," due to be published in April 2021. This book promised glimpses of how the author, researcher, active-aging guiding light, and CEO of the San Francisco-based consultancy Age Wave went from working-class roots in New Jersey to working with people like Senator John McCain and US Presidents Reagan, Carter and Clinton. Yet, in the end, what really captured my attention was a chapter featuring his 1978 interview with then-septuagenarian Maggie Kuhn. It turns out she was far ahead of her time. To me, the interview could have been done yesterday. It left me with an obvious question: Have we really changed the way we approach and respond to population aging, aging itself or the way we view aging?
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