VANCOUVER, B.C.-The International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), the world's largest trade association for the senior fitness and wellness industry, has selected the winners of the 2004 ICAA Industry Innovators Awards. This year's awards competition produced two firsts: an award given to an individual, and a tie among programs, resulting in six awards overall. Colin Milner, the ICAA's chief executive officer, says this outcome shows the strength and diversity in active aging today. And he praises the ICAA Industry Innovators for their leadership in the field.
"These award-winners provide inspiring examples of the many approaches possible to support the health and well-being of older adults in our society," says Milner. "What they share is the demonstrated excellence and creativity that makes them leaders in their particular areas." Interestingly, five of the six winners are government related, showing how progressive governments at all levels are becoming about active aging.
Arnold Eppel-Director, Baltimore County Department of Aging, Towson, Maryland
A passionate visionary and tireless worker, Arnold Eppel is a leader in empowering older adults to enhance their health and quality of life. Eppel has contributed his ideas, effort and enthusiasm to many projects, including a CD with information for caregivers of older adults; an annual information and resource exposition for midlife and older adults; and numerous information and resource guides. His cutting-edge work includes rolling out a new type of senior center in Baltimore County: facilities with fitness centers to help older adults maintain or improve their physical health and function. In addition, Eppel's gift for developing mutually advantageous partnerships with business and community representatives provides ongoing benefits for the nearly 150,000 older adults who live in the region.
Walking the Way to Health-Countryside Agency/British Heart Foundation, Gloucestershire, England
Launched in 2000 by a government agency and a leading charity, the Walking the Way to Health Initiative has led to the development of more than 300 community walking schemes in England. These schemes typically include three core components: places to walk, self-help information, and programs of led walks. The initiative also boasts a website filled with downloadable tools for the community and professionals (www.whi.org.uk). Simple and fun to navigate, this educational website will prove a valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn more about walking programs. Additionally, an online Learning Network allows professionals participating in these programs to share ideas and best practices. By supporting local partnerships of health, leisure and community interests, Walking the Way to Health aims to encourage more than one million adults to walk more in their communities by 2005. The initiative's results to date show the success of this approach at the local level to helping people become more active.
TEXERCISE-Texas Department on Aging (now part of the new Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services), Austin, Texas
The intergenerational health and fitness program known as TEXERCISE educates and involves older Texans and their families in physical activity and proper nutrition. This statewide initiative recognizes that communities vary in their resources and ability to engage their citizens in healthy behavior. With the support of statewide public-private partnerships, TEXERCISE is able to build and strengthen the capacity of local communities to develop fitness and nutrition activities, thereby promoting health and wellness. By working with a wide range of private and nonprofit partners, the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services creates win-win arrangements and increases both its resources and service delivery capacity. Governmental agencies that want to create programs to encourage physical activity for older adults would do well to take a look at the TEXERCISE model.
NIHSeniorHealth-National Institute on Aging and National Library of Medicine, both part of the National Institutes of Health, Bethseda, Maryland
The new NIHSeniorHealth website (www.nihseniorhealth.gov) is the first website developed to accommodate the cognitive and visual needs of adults ages 60 and older. It may also be the world's first "talking" website. Specifically, NIHSeniorHealth provides health topics and formats tailored to the way older adults see, process and recall information. This innovation increases the likelihood that visitors will understand, retain and use the site's aging-related health information, which includes "Exercise for Older Adults"-the most visited section. A joint project of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM), NIHSeniorHealth was designed using NIA's cognitive aging research and NLM's expertise in technological innovation. The resulting site serves as a benchmark for age-friendly websites.
Active Community Environments Grassroots (ACEs)-Washington State Department of Health, Olympia, Washington
A growing body of research shows that community design can encourage or discourage physical activity. The ACEs project is believed to be the first in the United States to incorporate the bicycle and pedestrian community design needs of older adults into transportation policy decisions, with the goal of improving the health and quality of life for older adults. ACEs fosters local and state level cross-disciplinary collaborations to create environments that are more accessible and age-friendly. These collaborations seek to incorporate transportation policy and infrastructure changes that improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities, as well as to use urban planning approaches related to zoning and land use that promote physical activity. By providing a community that makes physical activity a part of everyday life, the project will encourage older adults to age actively.
Center for Successful Aging-California State University, Fullerton, California
This organization led by aging experts Jessie Jones and Debra Rose consistently contributes work that advances active aging. For the last 10 years, the Center for Successful Aging has researched healthy aging and disability prevention; trained students to conduct health, fitness and rehabilitation programs; offered health/fitness assessments and physical activity programs for older adults; collaborated with community agencies and facilities to provide services that improve the quality of life in later years; and served as advocates for healthy aging. Of particular note, research conducted at the center has furthered the industry's education and led to standards such as the Senior Fitness Test, a battery of functional fitness tests, and FallProof, a fall prevention program. In addition, the Center for Successful Aging provides programs in an environment specifically geared towards meeting the needs of older adults, so its wellness center is particularly well thought out.
In the coming year, in-depth articles on the award-winners will appear in the ICAA's bimonthly Journal on Active Aging, to offer the active aging field an opportunity to learn more about these initiatives and individuals. The ICAA Industry Innovators received their awards at Active Aging 2004: catching the wave, the ICAA's conference in Orlando, Florida, from November 11-13.
Many groups participated in this year's Industry Innovators Awards competition. The ICAA thanks all entrants for sharing their work and accomplishments, and encourages them to take part in next year's awards competition.
Launched in 2003, the ICAA Industry Innovators Awards honor excellence and creativity in the health and wellness field. They also recognize organizations that have created cutting-edge programs to support active aging among adults ages 50 and older. For more information about this program, call the ICAA toll-free at 866-335-9777, or visit www.icaa.cc/awardsprogram.htm.
About the International Council on Active Aging
The ICAA is the world's largest association dedicated to changing the way we age by uniting and working with professionals in the retirement, assisted living, recreation, fitness, rehabilitation and wellness fields. It connects a community of like-minded professionals who share the goals of changing society's perceptions of aging and improving the quality of life for aging Baby Boomers and older adults within the six dimensions of wellness (emotional, vocational, physical, spiritual, intellectual, social). The council supports these professionals with education, information, resources and tools, so they can achieve optimal success with this growing market.
The ICAA takes an active role in helping to change the way society perceives aging. The council is one of more than 50 of the nation's most prominent health and aging organizations working to implement the National Blueprint on Aging. Contributors to the Blueprint's development include AARP, the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Geriatrics Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute on Aging, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
- 30 -
For information about the ICAA, active aging, or aging-related issues, contact:
Colin Milner, CEO
International Council on Active Aging
Toll-free: 866-335-9777 (in North America)
Telephone: 604-734-4466
colinmilner@icaa.cc
866.335.9777 
