Articles
The Journal on Active Aging brings articles of value to professionals dedicated to older-adult quality of life. Content sweeps across the active-aging landscape to focus on education and practice. Find articles of interest by searching the article archives in three ways: Enter a keyword in the articles search bar; click on search by topic; or type a keyword or phrase in the general search bar at the top of the page.
Topic- Walking
An INSPIRE-ing vision: how a passion for foot health led to Jim Throneburg's active-aging mission
The recipient of the third annual ICAA INSPIRE Award is making a difference through his commitment to protecting foot health and functional mobility, improving quality of life for older adults, and promoting active aging.
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Give your brain a workout! by Peggy Buchanan, MA
The people in the walking group were bored. To keep the walk interesting, we would travel to different locations and admire the scenery, chatting while walking. Because of the range of functional abilities in the group, there was a limited number of places where we could go. But walking can get boring, so the only way to stimulate excitement was to change locations, or hope some new people joined the group so regulars had a different person to talk with.
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Activating older adults with 'Nordic' pole walking and exercise programs by Tom Rutlin, BS
Among the most basic of all human activities, walking is essential to maintaining functional independence as we age. However, declining confidence, muscle fitness and proprioception (which allows us to sense body position in space) can threaten our ability to walk safely and thus stay independent. “Nordic” pole walking and pole exercise programs offer simple, effective options for regular physical activity participation, promoting health, function and independence in older adults.
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GO! Green: an outdoor walking challenge by Bill Clifford
What began in 2004 as a desire on the part of a group of residents to create an extensive series of walking and hiking trails around Seabury, a life care community in Bloomfield, Connecticut, has since blossomed into a full-blown environmental wellness initiative. Events such as birding outings, nature walks and a Nordic Walking program increased activity and awareness of the trails among the residents. All this activity eventually led to “GO! Green: Moving Outdoors Towards 26.2,” a challenge program that encouraged participants to complete a marathon distance of 26.2 miles (42 K) over a six-month period of time with one rule: the mileage had to be outdoors.
With more than 200 participants, the initiative exemplifies the commitment of Seabury’s residents and staff to the environmental dimension of wellness.
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Walkability audit tool
This tool was prepared as part of the Healthier Worksite Initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While initially developed for employers, the concepts and tool are equally valuable for surveying the campus of a retirement community or the area surrounding a community center or wellness center.
Physical activity programs in active aging are directed to older adults. However, an increasing number of ICAA members are making the wellness program available to staff members because wellness programs can lower absenteeism and increase employee satisfaction. When using the walkability audit tool, consider both the client and the staff members.
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Build excitement for a walking club by Suzanne Dallefeld
Many of the people living in the Atria Evergreen Woods community walk during the day, but the walking club attracted only a small number of residents, and they lost interest quickly. What would make the walking club more enticing?
The club gained a new life by adding the Walk America theme. In addition to providing goals for physical activity, the theme involves the intellectual skills and creativity of club members through geography, crafts and photography, and is the perfect place for reminiscence as we walk from place to place.
