International Council on Active Aging
866.335.9777 
Join ICAA Now!
Whether you are an organization, or an individual professional, ICAA has the right membership for you.
Active aging industry news from around the world
Lakeview executive named to KAHSA board
Kimberly Hynek, chief financial officer of Lakeview Village continuing care retirement community in Lenexa, Kansas, has been elected to the board of the Kansas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (KAHSA), the state professional association for nonprofits that provide services for elders. According to Hynek, “Lakeview has both the responsibility and the capability to help lead our fast-changing field into the future.” Her community’s participation at the state board level can enrich “the information available to KAHSA members, potential residents and the overall population,” she adds. “I hope to use what Lakeview has learned and is practicing about whole-person wellness,” Hynek says, “to share this knowledge and orientation with my colleagues, through them with the people who provide direct services, and with the entire Kansas community.”
(back to AA industry news)
Ecumen unveils center to promote successful aging
Aging services provider Ecumen is “empowering seniors to take greater personal control of their wellness” with the opening of the Vitalize! Wellness Centre in Chisago City, Minnesota. Ecumen, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Shoreview (on the outskirts of the Twin Cities), specializes in housing and services for older adults, as well as senior housing development. The new wellness facility at Parmly LifePointes continuing care retirement community is part of a development approach by Ecumen—one that “builds vital connections to the larger community, empowers people, and promotes physical, intellectual, spiritual, emotional and vocational growth,” according to the company’s press release. “Many of the Vitalize! members come from the larger community,” the release explains. Membership ranges in age, for the most part, from people in their 50s to those in their 90s; employees also use the facility.
“Vitalize! is all about people growing, it’s about empowerment and emphasizing that aging is all about living—even at the very end of life,” states Dana Wollschlager, Ecumen’s director of real estate development. “We see this as a wonderful model for other senior housing and long-term care providers that are seeking to reposition themselves and serve more people in the community.”
(back to AA industry news)
Rogers wellness center wins new EPA award
The City of Rogers Adult Wellness Center (AWC) in Rogers, Arkansas, has received one of the first-ever Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging awards from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). “These awards recognize outstanding community planning and strategies that support active aging and smart growth, thereby improving the quality of life of older residents,” states EPA. The agency recognized AWC for its efforts to provide physical and social opportunities for adults ages 50 and older. In addition, the neighborhood surrounding the facility has become a smart growth community, with future plans that include a mixed-rate housing complex, plus a three-acre wellness park connected to the city trail system.
Opened in fall 2006, AWC was among six other winning communities and government agencies from around the US to receive one of EPA’s new awards. AWC was also recently honored with the Arkansas Recreation and Parks Association 2007 Facility of the Year award and a 2008 NuStep Pinnacle Award.
(back to AA industry news)
Nebraska geriatrics center named for donor
The University of Nebraska Medical Center will name its new geriatrics center the Home Instead Center for Successful Aging, to recognize a major gift by Paul and Lori Hogan, cofounders of Home Instead Senior Care. The two-level geriatrics center will occupy 25,300 sq. ft. and cost nearly $10.2 million. According to a story in the Omaha World-Herald, the new center “will include a 2,500-square-foot fitness center, outpatient care and space for community outreach, public education and research.” Construction is expected to end in late summer/early fall 2009. Headquartered in Omaha, Home Instead Senior Care provides nonmedical home care for older adults through 765 franchise businesses in the United States and 12 other countries worldwide.
(back to AA industry news)
Partners open computer center for Big Easy elders
In partnership with the H. R. C. Foundation and the New Orleans Central City Economic Opportunity Corporation (EOC) Senior Center, technology educator SeniorNet opened a SeniorNet Computer Learning Center in the Louisiana city in January 2008. This new scholarship-based center brings free computer access and education to low-income older adults in metro New Orleans. The SeniorNet Computer Learning Center, situated at Central City EOC Senior Center, is the second of three such computer centers that SeniorNet will open, as part of a three-year H. R. C. Foundation grant.
“For 22 years, SeniorNet has empowered older adults with computer access and education; however in this digital economy, low-income older adults are still being left behind,” says Kristin Fabos, the nonprofit’s executive director. “SeniorNet is extremely grateful to the H. R. C. Foundation for this grant,” Fabos adds, “and is proud to work with Central City EOC Senior Center to contribute such an essential service to the continued rebuilding of the New Orleans community.”
(back to AA industry news)
Community aging services providers take part in demonstration
In December, the US Administration on Aging (AoA) announced the participation of community aging services providers in a demonstration designed to help older adults stay healthy. Nine Aging and Disability Resource Center programs and an AoA Older Americans Act Information and Referral program will participate in the Medicare Senior Risk Reduction Demonstration, administered by the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This demonstration evaluates whether the Medicare program can deliver health promotion and disease prevention programs now offered in the private sector, to encourage beneficiaries to engage in healthy lifestyles.
(back to AA industry news)
Tufts researchers update older-adult food pyramid
Researchers at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, recently updated their Food Guide Pyramid for Older Adults to correspond with the new US Department of Agriculture food pyramid (now known as MyPyramid). The Tufts version, specifically designed for older adults, has changed in appearance and content. The Modified MyPyramid for Older Adults continues to stress nutrient-dense food choices and fluid balance, but adds more guidance about forms of foods that best meet the unique needs of elders. And to emphasize the importance of regular physical activity, the Tufts pyramid now features a foundation depicting physical activities such as walking, yard work and swimming. The Modified MyPyramid for Older Adults was recently published in the Journal of Nutrition (January 2008). A news release about the update, along with a link to the graphic, is available at http://nutrition.tufts.edu/docs/pdf/releases/071220_ModifiedMyPyramid.pdf.
(back to AA industry news)
Grants support lifelong learning in Australia
Older adults in the Australian state of Victoria will have more opportunities to join in lifelong learning programs through the latest round of grants to the University of the Third Age (U3A), according to Minister for Senior Victorians Lisa Neville. “U3As are part of a worldwide network which promotes healthy aging by enabling members to share many educational, creative and leisure activities,” says Neville. “In this latest round of grants, 30 U3As across Victoria will share in the $76,000,” she advises, “which will help them to develop more than 70 new programs ranging from exercise classes and environmental sustainability to arts and crafts and computer courses.” These grants, she concludes, are part of the State Government of Victoria’s four-year, $1.2-million commitment to boost support for U3As throughout the state.
(back to AA industry news)
Silicon Valley nonprofit invests in strategic health initiatives
The Health Trust, a California-based nonprofit that provides grants and program services, will invest $30 million in three initiatives to make Silicon Valley “the healthiest region in America.” The initiatives launched by The Health Trust are:
- Healthy living, which focuses on getting more people to a healthy weight. Plans include advocacy for land use policies that support physical activity and healthy lifestyles, encouraging more community gardens and farmers markets, workplace wellness activities, and an engaging public education campaign to encourage people to eat better and be more physically active.
- Healthy aging, which focuses on more physical activity opportunities for older adults, improved hospital-to-home transitions, and training, support and respite for caregivers. Plans include expanding Meals On Wheels and other services to support independent living, plus opening a neighborhood café that’s especially welcoming for older adults.
- Healthy communities, which focuses on ensuring fair and equitable healthcare services and programs for all of the region’s residents. Plans include health screenings for the prevention and management of chronic disease, recruitment and training of a diverse healthcare workforce, and getting more people covered by health insurance.
(back to AA industry news)
Back to top
