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Active aging industry news from around the world
Fresno community finishes 30-day fitness challenge
At San Joaquin Gardens, an American Baptist Homes of the West continuing care retirement community in Fresno, California, 154 residents recently completed the President’s Challenge, a fitness program overseen by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Participants aspired to achieve bronze, silver or gold awards by receiving points for a variety of activities during the monthlong campaign. Among the activities were aerobics, dancing, tennis, tai chi, walking and pilates—even the Nintendo Wii. Impressively, more than 70% of the participants have remained active at the “gold medal” standard since the program ended, keeping physically active for more than 300 minutes per week.
A fitness fair kicked off the program at San Joaquin Gardens on January 15. This event featured blood pressure checks and fitness testing by certified instructors, healthy fruit and protein smoothies, recipes by on-site dieticians, and the community’s spa services. The organization also unveiled its 2010 schedule of wellness classes.
“Fitness is a real emphasis in the overall lifestyle at San Joaquin Gardens,” says Steve Case, the community’s lifestyle fitness coordinator. “Last year, 77 residents set out on a 30-day Walk to Wellness campaign, and they logged enough miles to make it across the United States.” Based on the ongoing resident interest, Case correctly predicted that even more people would take part in this year’s President’s Challenge. “Residents had been eagerly expressing interest to me every day,” he explains, wanting “to find out what the new challenge would be in 2010 and what classes we had in store for them.” In addition, 125 residents were working out at least three days a week in the community’s new fitness center prior to the monthlong challenge. “It’s important that we continue to keep our fitness activities fresh and find new ways to keep residents motivated and committed to a healthy lifestyle,” stresses Case. But one thing is for sure, he says: “We’ve all discovered it’s never too late to get back into shape and get started on a healthy lifestyle.”
Culinary competition showcases healthy cooking, wellness dimensions
Brookdale Senior Living’s 2010 Ultimate Chef America tour kicked off in late January in Phoenix, Arizona, and will eventually wrap up after visiting six cities across the United States. During these two-hour competitions, the organization’s culinary professionals entertain the audience and showcase their talents, with the focus on healthy cooking for older adults. The prize? The title of Ultimate Chef America.
Attendees gain a close-up look at the fast-paced competition—with opportunities to sample recipes prepared by the chefs. In addition, attendees can take part in educational programs, including a seminar featuring Dr. Kevin O’Neil, Brookdale’s medical director and International Council on Active Aging® advisor, on “Food for the Soul.” A vendor expo features several of the senior living provider’s national partners and sponsors. And adding purpose to the event, food-inspired art created by Brookdale residents are auctioned off, with proceeds going to the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation.
All the wellness dimensions in Brookdale’s Optimum Life lifestyle—emotional, intellectual, physical, social, spiritual and purposeful—are displayed during Ultimate Chef America events. And “feedback from all thus far has been very positive,” affirms Sara Terry, vice president of Optimum Life. These events are “showcasing healthy cooking and our residents and associates living life to the fullest,” she adds. More tour information is available at www.ultimatechefamerica.com.
Project connects homebound elders to community
Can technology reduce social isolation, increase wellness and enhance quality of life for homebound older adults? A public-private demonstration project unveiled in March aims to show us how. Developed by Microsoft, the City of New York and Selfhelp Community Services, the Virtual Senior Center uses computer, video and Internet technology to create an interactive experience that gives at-home older adults better access to community services. It’s Never 2 Late, a Colorado company that creates specialty technology packages for elders, provides the custom interface.
The demonstration project links six homebound individuals (ranging in age from 67 to 103) to Selfhelp’s Benjamin Rosenthal Senior Center in Flushing, Queens. Each participant’s home is equipped with a desktop computer running Windows 7, as well as a touch-screen monitor, a small video camera, a microphone and broadband Internet service. Video cameras and monitors have been strategically placed around the Benjamin Rosenthal center to enable at-home participants to interact with classmates and instructors, and to take part in activities such as armchair yoga, painting classes, current events discussions and tai chi. Since beginning the project, some of these participants have made new friends.
“The New York City Department for the Aging is deeply committed to improving the quality of life for older New Yorkers, and this partnership is one more step toward making New York City the most age-friendly city in the nation,” says Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, the department’s commissioner. “Senior centers are the social hub for many older New Yorkers, and this new model—the Virtual Senior Center—has shown us that technology will help seniors age in place and remain integrated into the community by bringing that same senior center experience into the home.”
Resource outlines keys for LGBT inclusiveness by healthcare providers
While affordable healthcare continues to be a major issue to Americans, it is only one of the challenges facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people when it comes to medical care, according to Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), a nonprofit organization with 500 affiliates across the nation. Too often, providers lack the basic cultural competency on LGBT issues, rely on misinformation, or simply do not have access to simple and effective resources. These things create barriers to adequate healthcare access for LGBT patients, the organization states.
For many providers, it isn’t a case of not wanting to be inclusive of LGBT patients, but rather a sense that it isn’t an issue “or, when it is, confusion around how to talk about it gets in the way,” explains Jody M. Huckaby, executive director of the PFLAG National Office. To help, PFLAG National has released a new publication, Straight for Equality in Healthcare. Created with the help of a diverse group of healthcare professionals, this guide is available online at www.straightforequality.org/healthcare. The website includes broader discussions of the issue and additional resources.
Canada’s York University launches muscle health research center
In January, York University officially launched its Muscle Health Research Centre (MHRC), the first of its kind in Canada. “This center is unique in that we’re zeroing in on skeletal muscle and its relationship to health, with a strong focus on what exercise can do,” says director David Hood, a professor in the Toronto university’s School of Kinesiology and Health Science, Faculty of Health. “We’re looking for new discoveries on how exercise can benefit Canadians through adaptations in the metabolism and structure of muscle.” The MHRC will serve as a hub for the life sciences within the faculty, generating new knowledge and disseminating research findings to the public and the health system.
Discovery Channel showcases Pulte Homes ‘green’ efforts
Pulte Homes was featured in the debut episode of “The Green Room,” a new program on the Discovery Channel that focuses on environmental stewardship. The Pulte segment, which aired in February, highlighted the homebuilder’s Villa Trieste community in Las Vegas, Nevada, and its award-winning efforts to promote energy efficiency and sustainability. Specifically highlighted is the company’s smart home technology that enables homeowners to lower their energy consumption and bills.
Many Pulte homes currently being built include energy-efficient features such as smart thermostats, blown-in insulation, Low-E windows, tight construction, high efficiency toilets and Energy Star appliances. Select Pulte neighborhoods offer integrated solar roof tiles that convert solar power into energy. “Some of the technologies we use are obvious,” observes Walter Cuculic, the company’s director of sustainability. Other technologies “quietly contribute behind the scenes, all working together to reduce energy costs.”
Donation benefits Evangelical Homes ‘Chapel of Memories’
St. Paul United Church of Christ in Saline, Michigan, recently presented a $5,200 donation to benefit the Chapel of Memories in the Evangelical Homes of Michigan’s Memory Support Center at Brecon Village. In spring 2008, St. Paul pledged to make a $5,000 donation over five years. After overwhelming support from the congregation, the church was able to give more than the original pledge, and in less than two years.
The Chapel of Memories, which opened on the Saline campus in fall 2009, was built through donations from 13 local churches that participate in Evangelical Homes of Michigan’s Church Ambassador Program. These volunteer leaders foster an active relationship with their church members and with Evangelical Homes to help members understand their options on issues related to seniors housing, healthcare, and the not-for-profit’s mission.
Otterbein moves forward with life enrichment center
In February, the Otterbein Homes Board of Trustees voted to move forward with development of a life enrichment center on its Lebanon, Ohio, campus. This includes the necessary deconstruction of 166-year-old Bethany Hall, a former meeting place and residence for members of the Shaker religious sect. The hall had fallen into disrepair in recent years.
The life enrichment center will include a warm-water swimming and rehabilitation pool, locker rooms, fitness equipment, indoor walking areas, comfortable sitting and study areas, a catering kitchen and other features. The Countryside YMCA of Lebanon will provide fitness, educational, arts-related and other programs at the center. “This plan continues our mission of enhancing the quality of life and holistic growth of older persons,” states Otterbein Homes President and CEO Jill C. Hreben.
In related news, Otterbein acquired Pioneer Home Health Care, a home health agency with operations in Wilmington and the surrounding area.
AHA defines cardiovascular health with seven measures
For the first time, the American Heart Association (AHA) has defined “ideal” cardiovascular health, using seven easy-to-understand measures. The association created the definition as part of its effort to achieve its new national goal: By 2020, improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20%, while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20%. The new goal will focus on preventing heart disease and stroke, most notably by helping people identify and adopt healthier lifestyle choices. This will be the first time AHA has adopted better health as a principal goal.
Ideal cardiovascular health for adults is defined by the presence of these seven health measures, known as Life’s Simple 7:
• never smoked or quit more than one year ago
• body mass index less than 25 kg/m2
• physical activity of at least 150 minutes (moderate intensity) or 75 minutes (vigorous intensity) each week
• four to five of the key components of a healthy diet consistent with current AHA guideline recommendations
• total cholesterol of less than 200 mg/dL
• blood pressure below 120/80 mm Hg
• fasting blood glucose less than 100 mg/dL
To help people improve heart health, AHA has developed the new online resource My Life Check ((available at www.heart.org/mylifecheck). The short assessment identifies the seven goals for cardiovascular health and notes where a person is on the spectrum from poor to ideal. Additional tools and information offer action steps to improve measurements and track personal progress toward better health.
UK physicians adopt Exercise is Medicine message
During a two-day seminar in January, clinicians in the United Kingdom who specialize in sports and exercise medicine were trained in counseling patients about physical activity—spreading the Exercise is Medicine message to this region. An initiative of the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Medical Association, Exercise is Medicine “was designed to heighten physical activity awareness among patients and better connect healthcare providers and fitness professionals,” according to ACSM Sports Medicine Bulletin. Presenters at the UK meeting included, among others, Robert Sallis, MD, FACSM, chair of the Exercise is Medicine Task Force.
United Way invests in independence for elders, people with disabilities
Despite a tough economy, Greater Twin Cities United Way in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is committing $4.8 million to its “independence goal” in the next three years after completing an open and competitive grant process. This multiyear goal seeks to maximize independence for older adults and people with disabilities and helps them remain in their homes. To achieve this objective, the new funds will focus on 43 programs that provide support to caregivers; assist families in accessing services; provide mental, physical and social activities; and provide in-home and community support. These investments support one of 10 goals that make up United Way’s Agenda for Lasting Change, its long-term commitment to creating pathways out of poverty for low-income families in the Twin Cities area.
HHS supports prevention and wellness programs
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded more than $119 million to US states and territories to support public health efforts to reduce obesity, increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and decrease smoking—the four key actions for combating chronic diseases and promoting health. This money supports one of several components in the department’s prevention and wellness initiative, Communities Putting Prevention to Work.
The recently announced funding will focus on efforts to encourage healthy choices through a variety of methods, including using media to support healthy food and beverage choices and increased physical activity, and increasing access to healthy choices and safe places to be active. Awards will also support efforts to increase tobacco cessation through quit-lines and media campaigns. Further, 13 states received additional funding for special initiatives. To learn more, visit www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/recovery.
Grant to improve health of older minority adults
The University of Illinois at Chicago has received a $1.9-million grant from the National Institute on Aging, one of the US National Institutes of Health, to improve the health of older underserved minority adults, particularly Latinos. The UIC Midwest Roybal Center for Health Promotion and Translation will test, build and share health promotion programs to improve the functioning and quality of life of older adults. The five-year renewal grant will build on prior research conducted at UIC with Roybal Center funding, and identify new research projects focused on changing the health behaviors of individuals and communities. The UIC center is one of 13 federally funded Edward R. Roybal Centers for Research on Applied Gerontology.
Funds boost research into age-related cognitive decline
The Research Partnership in Cognitive Aging, a public-private effort to promote the study of brain function with age, will award up to $28 million over five years to 17 research grants. These projects will examine the neural and behavioral profiles of healthy cognitive aging and explore interventions that may prevent, reduce or reverse cognitive decline in older people. The partnership, led by the National Institute on Aging and the McKnight Brain Research Foundation, is seeking ways to maintain cognitive health into old age.
The basic research supported by these grants will focus on the molecular, cellular, physiological and behavioral aspects of healthy aging, as well as the development and pilot testing of experimental, evidence-based interventions. The pilot studies of behavioral strategies may eventually lead to full-scale, randomized clinical trials.
In addition, a Cognitive Aging Summit is planned for fall 2010. The meeting will bring together experts in a variety of research fields to discuss advances in understanding brain and behavioral changes associated with normal aging, including clinical translational research for prevention of age-related cognitive decline.
National action plan issued by CDC and the Arthritis Foundation
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Arthritis Foundation have announced a major initiative aimed at dramatically reducing the impact of osteoarthritis on Americans. A National Public Health Agenda for Osteoarthritis is the country’s first comprehensive national action plan that calls on healthcare providers, insurers, policymakers, public health agencies and the public to take steps collectively to reduce the burden of osteoarthritis. The blueprint’s four intervention strategies include self-management education, physical activity, injury prevention, and weight management.
One recommended strategy, and the first step, is a national awareness campaign. Launched in February by the Arthritis Foundation, the Ad Council and the American College of Rheumatology, this new multimedia public service advertising campaign aims to empower people with (or at risk for) osteoarthritis to take simple steps to reduce pain, increase their mobility and help prevent disability caused by osteoarthritis. The Fight Arthritis Pain campaign demonstrates that “moving is the best medicine” and features messages about the important role of physical activity and weight reduction in preventing and managing pain associated with osteoarthritis. Television, radio, print, outdoor and Web ads will direct individuals to a new website, www.fightarthritispain.org, for information and tools.
