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- Construction
Trends in the physical environments for active living
In this special section of the Journal on Active Aging, discover award-winning designs in three focus areas for community remodeling and construction: dining spaces, outdoor spaces, and spaces that support functional ability.
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Arts colonies offer a creative, whole-person wellness alternative for independent living by Marilynn Larkin, MA
The benefits gained by involvement in the arts, particularly for older adults, cannot be underestimated. The late Gene Cohen, MD, PhD, a pioneering geriatric psychiatrist, and colleagues demonstrated the impact of cultural programs participation on the physical, mental and social health and functioning of older adults in a landmark study initiated in 2001. Inspired in part by Cohen’s research, California-based visionaries Tim Carpenter and John Huskey have created a model of senior housing focused on arts amenities and programs.
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A troubleshooter's guide to designs for wellness
As communities and organizations look to the future, what do they see? On one hand, there is a population of people with a variety of interests experiencing changes in their lives that make them seek different amenities than they did in years past. On the other hand, properties that have seen better days need repairs and maybe total overhauls if they were built for a purpose that no longer exists. Are there ways to repurpose the outdated facilities to better serve a population that is changing as it ages?
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Upgrade your wellness center to meet shifting expectations and maximize ROI by John Rude, MS
Continuing care retirement communities and other types of senior living have raised the bar to provide qualified leadership for wellness efforts and strive for successful programs. To become even more effective in this growing industry of wellness and maximize return on investment, organizations should seek higher standards for wellness centers.
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Why older-adult playgrounds present a world of possibilities by Marilynn Larkin, MA
At first glance, the words older-adult playground may seem like an oxymoron. Aren’t playgrounds for children? Well, yes and no. Most existing playgrounds were built with children in mind. But a new wave of playgrounds—born of an understanding of the value of play and conceived with older adults, or older adults and children, in mind—are moving off the drawing boards and into communities in the United States1 and beyond.
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Designing wellness facilities and living environments by Donna Jackel
Choice is the buzzword in today’s housing market for older adults. The challenge, say experts, is how to meet the needs of current clients while building in flexibility for future residents.
The average age that people move into independent living communities is trending upward, rising from 80 to 84 over the past decade,1 according to Edie Smith, senior vice president and research director at Oxford, Mississippi-based ProMatura Group, a full-service market research and advisory firm specializing in age 50-plus consumers. Meanwhile, the needs and desires of the 78 million or so Baby Boomers in the United States2 are influencing everything from building design to dining services.
