ICAA in the news

Catch up with the association that supports professionals in older-adult fitness and wellness

ICAA introduces ICAA Business Network
The International Council on Active Aging® (ICAA) has heard calls from ICAA members for more opportunities to connect with their peers. In response, the association is launching the ICAA Business Network-a website sure to become the online community for active-aging professionals. The ICAA Business Network, or ICAA Net, will function like social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. By logging in to the ICAA Net through the ICAA website, association members will be able to customize their individual profiles, make contact with others who share their interests, create forums to discuss topics, upload videos, and more. As a result of its ability to help people connect, ICAA Net will help to foster a dynamic active-aging community that grows the industry together.

Online forum for sharing programs set to go live
As we go to press, ICAA is preparing to unveil the ICAA Online Directory of Successful Programs, an initiative that allows active-aging professionals to share their best program strategies. The Online Directory arose out of the 2006 ICAA Strategy Session, a think tank of active-aging leaders that identifies needs in the growing industry and recommends actions to address them. (To learn about the outcomes of this year’s Strategy Session, see the article on page 34.) A top priority emerged at the 2006 session to “identify best practices in the industry that serve as models, and tap into applicable practices from other organizations.” ICAA formed a work group to plan the format for the Online Directory, and this group seriously considered the ultimate goals of this resource. Now, as the Online Directory becomes available to the active-aging industry, it will be created by people in the field who want to tell their colleagues about programs that improved quality of life for older adults, and who want to find new programs to expand their own offerings.

Learning opportunities abound at annual ICAA Conference
The International Council on Active Aging® invited active-aging professionals to expand their wellness horizons at the Sixth Annual ICAA Conference in San Antonio, Texas—and expand them they did. The 2008 ICAA Conference in December featured plenty of opportunities for delegates to learn from presenters, and from each other.

Selected for their industry experience and knowledge, leading presenters engaged audiences with educational seminars on a wide range of topics—from facility design and marketing, to brain health and drumming circles. And preconference presenters included the following two active-aging authorities, both ICAA advisors, who provided hands-on instruction:

Debra Rose, PhD, kinesiology professor and co-director of the Center for Successful Aging at California State University, Fullerton; and co-director of the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence, housed at the University of Southern California; and
Mary E. Sanders, PhD, FACSM, associate professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Reno; director of WaterFit/Golden Waves; and Journal on Active Aging® columnist.

ICAA advisor honored with research award
The American Heart Association (AHA) recently bestowed its Population Research Prize on ICAA advisor Steven N. Blair, PED, a professor in the departments of Exercise Science and Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health. Blair received AHA’s Population Research Prize “for leading major population studies that established the benefits of aerobic exercise in achieving cardiorespiratory fitness, thereby reducing illness and death from cardiovascular disease.”

AHA lauded Blair’s research with the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study because it was one of the first to show the importance of cardiorespiratory fitness to health among adult men and women. The study found that physically fit individuals have about a 50% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and death than their sedentary peers. Blair also conducted a study that found that lower fitness levels increase the risk of high blood pressure.

“Over the past 25 years, clinical trials and observational studies led by Dr. Blair have provided the world with solid scientific evidence of the efficacy of physical activity as a weapon against disease,” said Timothy J. Gardner, MD, AHA president. He added that Blair’s work was a major factor in AHA’s decision to recognize physical inactivity and low cardiorespiratory fitness as a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

A prolific author of scientific papers and chapters, Blair was the senior scientific editor for the US Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health. He has also written or edited several books. In addition, the renowned researcher is a past president of the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity, and the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education. Blair also served as director of epidemiology and clinical applications at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas from 1980 to 2002.

On the road: spreading the active-aging word
ICAA leaders speak about active aging at many events throughout the year. Here are a few upcoming events at which Colin Milner, ICAA’s founder and CEO, will present:

March 15–19: Aging in America 2009, the annual joint conference of the American Society on Aging and the National Council on Aging (NCOA), Las Vegas, Nevada. On March 15, Milner will be the lead speaker at “A Vision for the Future of Senior Centers,” a special forum hosted by the National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC), an NCOA special-interest group. He will also talk at the NISC Leo Laks Memorial Luncheon Lecture and Luncheon on March 17. More information: www.agingconference.org
April 23: “Healing Gardens: The Power and Practice of Nature in Senior Communities,” a daylong seminar at Medford Leas Continuing Care Retirement Community in Medford, New Jersey. This event is cosponsored by Medford Leas and Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. ICAA’s CEO will speak on creating an age-friendly wellness environment. More information: www.medfordleas.org
April 22–25: The Society of Behavioral Medicine’s 30th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions in Montreal, Canada. On April 25, Milner will take part in “Consumers Be Aware,” a panel discussion on using mass media and marketing approaches to increase public awareness of and demand for evidence-based practices. More information: www.sbm.org

Active Aging Week hosts encourage adults 50 and older to get active
Numerous older-adult organizations, agencies and communities across North America hosted events for Active Aging Week 2008, which took place September 22–28. The annual health promotion event is organized by the International Council on Active Aging® (ICAA) to introduce older adults to a healthy, active lifestyle. A number of this year’s host sites enjoyed prepublicity in the media, observes Pat Ryan, ICAA’s Vice President of Education and Active Aging Week Program Manager. Health fairs, walks of all kinds, and Wii games were particularly popular, she notes, as were art, music and dance offerings. Watch for Ryan’s overview of Active Aging Week 2008 in the November/December issue of the Journal on Active Aging®. And mark your calendars for next year’s Active Aging Week, which will take place September 21–27, 2009.

ICAA Conference 2008 focuses on education, networking
The Sixth Annual ICAA Conference gets underway in early December at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. Held in conjunction with the Athletic Business Conference and Expo, ICAA’s annual event offers educational seminars, workshops and networking opportunities for active-aging professionals.

Input from ICAA members shapes the conference’s educational program. This year’s seminar tracks include:

• Brain health
• Facility and community planning and development
• Increasing participation
• Management and leadership
• Marketing
• Outdoor programming
• Practice of programming
• Science of programming
• Wellness

The full conference program is available in the “Conference” section of the ICAA website, www.icaa.cc. Other event details are provided in the brochure on pages 77–84 of this Journal on Active Aging®.

Next year, the ICAA Conference will take place December 2–5 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. A call for presenters will appear on the ICAA website in mid-January, with selections due March 1.

Online locator to include more options
ICAA’s online wellness facility locator will grow and diversify this fall. The locator will continue to pinpoint wellness facilities across North America based on search criteria, but will now also locate suppliers of products and services that support a wellness lifestyle for people over 50. Visit www.icaa.cc to view the expanded locator. Or call ICAA toll-free at 866-335-9777 for more information.

On the road: spreading the active-aging word
Colin Milner, ICAA’s founder and CEO, recently presented a preconference session with active-aging colleagues John Rude and Lisa Bloder at the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition in Philadelphia. Milner joined Rude, president of Age Dynamics Inc., and Bloder, wellness coordinator at Westminster Communities of Florida, to offer “A Practical Guide to Marketing and Selling Wellness.” ICAA’s Chief Operating Officer Julie Milner also attended the October meeting, where the association fielded an exhibit booth.

Later that week, Colin Milner gave the keynote address on “Changing Aging” at It Takes a Community: A Summit on Opportunities for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention in Senior Living Communities, held at the Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The conference was organized by the Center for Mental Health Services. This federal agency falls within the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

ICAA head invited to take part in HHS work group
Colin Milner, ICAA founder and CEO, will participate in a work group tasked with offering feedback and ideas to help shape partner communication materials for a US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initiative as part of the fall 2008 launch of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines “will summarize the latest knowledge about activity and health, with depth and flexibility targeting specific population subgroups, such as seniors and children,” according to HHS.

ICAA, Biodex to offer balance training workshop
In conjunction with Biodex Medical Systems, the International Council on Active Aging® (ICAA) offers the workshop “Design a balance training program,” at the Wyndham Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida, this summer. Participants learn how to structure a falls screening program, plan balance training based on assessment results, implement a screening and balance training program, and apply current trends to market and manage the program. The workshop takes place on August 19, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fee to participate is US$25. For further information, call ICAA toll-free at 866-335-9777 or see www.icaa.cc/orlando.htm.

Associations become partners in education
ICAA has formed an educational partnership with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) to advance health and wellness services offered to older adults. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, AOTA is the national professional association for occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and occupational therapy students in the United States. Through this partnership, ICAA will help to improve knowledge about older-adult wellness among AOTA members, while AOTA will help to educate ICAA members about occupational therapy and its role in the emerging discipline of older-adult wellness. The associations will also encourage their members to work cooperatively, thereby enhancing services offered to aging clients.

ICAA Conference 2008: full details now available
Taking place in San Antonio, Texas, from December 4–6, 2008, the Sixth Annual International Council on Active Aging Conference will help delegates expand their wellness horizons. Lectures and workshops are geared to program development and management, along with fitness activities and management skills. This year’s seminar tracks include:

Brain health
Facility and community planning and development
Increasing participation
Management and leadership
Marketing
Outdoor programming
Practice of programming
Science of programming
Wellness

To download a PDF of the ICAA Conference brochure, with full details of speakers and sessions, visit www.icaa.cc/convention.htm. Or call ICAA toll-free at 866-335-9777 for information.

Updated ICAA website includes improved features for members
The ICAA website (www.icaa.cc) was recently redesigned and updated to make it an even more useful resource for ICAA members and other visitors. In the members only section, some improvements include:

a revised “Article archives” structure that makes it easy to find articles by expert authors;
a new Google-powered search function that locates resources in both the members only and public sections of the website; and
a member toolkit that provides support tools to maximize ICAA membership.

ICAA organizational members can also access a new section that provides statistics, trends and an in-depth understanding of the active-aging industry.

Active aging promoted at Canadian conference
ICAA is an Elite Sponsor of the Can-Fit-Pro International Fitness and Club Business Conference and Trade Show, Canada’s premier fitness event, which is scheduled for August 13–17 in Toronto, Ontario. As part of ICAA’s commitment to educating and advancing the industry, the association will present a preconference workshop on active aging, as well as a seminar track of more than 20 sessions. Conference information is available online at www.canfitpro.com/toronto2008/pro.

NIA works with ICAA and other advisors on booklet update
Since spring 2005, ICAA CEO Colin Milner has been advising the National Institute on Aging (NIA), one of the US National Institutes of Health, as it updates the resource Exercise: A Guide from the National Institute on Aging. With the updated guide now in its final stages of preparation, the focus has turned to how to disseminate it. As we go to press, Milner will provide his input at a meeting in Washington, DC, on June 25.

Among the exercise and aging experts advising NIA on this project are: David Buchner, MD, MPH, chief, Physical Activity and Health Branch, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and ICAA advisory board members Steven N. Blair, PED, scientific editor of the US Surgeon General’s reporton physical activity,and Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko, PhD, head, Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

ICAA supports EPA’s Healthy Communities awards
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now accepting applications for its second annual Excellence in Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards, an initiative that ICAA supports and promotes to its members. These awards recognize communities with outstanding community planning approaches that embody the core principles of Smart Growth, as well as strategies that support active aging. Details on criteria and how to apply, plus a downloadable PDF form, are available online at www.epa.gov/aging/bhc/awards. The deadline for applications is September 12, 2008.

Association leader teaches, learns about exercise and aging
ICAA COO Julie Milner presented an educational and training session on chair exercise at an Alberta Fitness Leadership Certification Association conference held May 31–June 1, 2008, in Edmonton, Canada. This event was geared to group fitness instructors and personal trainers.

Milner also attended a presentation by the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS) in Burnaby, British Columbia, on June 3. The Ottawa-based association has conducted a multiyear research project on physical activity and women ages 55–70, which included cross-country focus groups. The CAAWS presentation outlined findings, illuminating internal and external barriers to participation among these women. To learn more about this project, go to www.caaws.ca/women55plus.

Older adults urged to ‘Challenge’ themselves
To support the National President’s Challenge, a program of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, ICAA recently encouraged older adults to sign up for the six-week program this spring. The annual President’s Challenge aims to get Americans moving, with the goal of building towards 30 minutes of physical activity a day, five days a week. As participants strive to adopt a healthier lifestyle, they can also work towards earning an award, tracking their activity on the initiative’s website. The 2008 National President’s Challenge kicked off on March 20 and concluded on May 15.

ICAA gets behind new national campaign
The International Council on Active Aging® (ICAA) is supporting the new Exercise is Medicine™ initiative, launched in November 2007 by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Medical Association. This campaign encourages Americans to incorporate physical activity and exercise into their daily lives, and calls on physicians to prescribe exercise to their patients. ICAA urges its members to get involved in the Exercise is Medicine initiative. Participation will allow members to build the campaign’s momentum, while tying in their active-aging messages and programs.

A dedicated Exercise is Medicine website offers resources for physicians, health and fitness professionals, and the public. An upcoming Exercise is Medicine Kit for health and fitness professionals is in the works, according to this website. And ICAA has been asked to review a book that supports the campaign, titled ACSM’s Exercise is Medicine: A Physician’s Guide to Exercise Prescription. More information on the initiative is available online at www.exerciseismedicine.org.

Association leaders take active-aging message on the road
At press time, ICAA leaders are scheduled to present on active aging and related issues at the following upcoming events:

On May 20, CEO Colin Milner will speak on “Wellness: the key to healthy aging” at the New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (NYAHSA) 2008 Spring Training Institute and Exhibition, in Saratoga Springs, New York. The event for long-term care professionals focuses this year on “The Spirit of Transformation.”
ICAA’s CEO will deliver a keynote address to the Elder Rights Summit at Michigan State University in East Lansing, sponsored by the Michigan Commission on Services to the Aging, Michigan Office of Services to the Aging, and Elder Law of Michigan, Inc. This presentation on May 27 will delve into changing demographics and the characteristics of today’s and tomorrow’s older adults.
At the 11th Annual Healthy Aging Summit in Augusta, Georgia, Milner will present on the topic “The silver tsunami is coming–is your agency ready?” on June 5. This event is organized by the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Aging Services.
And on July 21, ICAA COO Julie Milner will lead the annual “Early Bird” Walk at the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging’s 33rd Annual Conference and Trade Show, held this year in Nashville, Tennessee.

Time to plan for health promotion event
Seniors centers, retirement communities, health clubs, parks and recreation departments, and aging services providers host a variety of free activities during ICAA’s annual Active Aging Week. Participating sites emphasize fun and education, offering group walks, exercise classes, dances, health lectures, demonstrations and other wellness activities. This year’s health promotion event takes place September 22–28, and continues last year’s theme of “Choose an active life.” Now is a good time for organizations to start planning activities for Active Aging Week 2008. The article on page 50 gives more details about this event and outlines resources that can help host sites make the most of this opportunity.

As part of Active Aging Week, ICAA also organizes a meeting in the Washington, DC, area to bring together active-aging advocates from government, for-profit and nonprofit organizations and academia. The one-day Strategy Session is a think tank that identifies needs in the growing industry and recommends methods to address them. This meeting is made possible each year because of sponsors who understand the value of supporting the industry. This year, those sponsors are Morrison Senior Dining, Biodex, NuStep Inc., Technogym USA, Philips Healthcare and the American Council on Exercise.