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- Social wellness
Ortrude White: A community learns the power of participation by Lisa Kiely, BFA, CPT, CAD, CEHA
As an active-aging strategist at Lenbrook, a Georgia life-plan community in the heart of Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood, I work with my team to plan and coordinate events with and for our residents. Many of these events involve unique performances, special lectures or interesting activities that I always try to capture on film or video. One day in 2016, when my scheduled photographer did not show up, I asked Lenbrook resident Myles Smith, an accomplished photographer, to help out. Little did I know this simple request would, in time, make a meaningful difference in the lives of Myles and his wife Ortrude, as well as to our community.
moreSocial wellness
The Art of Life: Creating a joyful, interactive performance for all ages by Kerry Hughes Thomas, MA
A community art project launched in 2017 enriched the lives of 950 participants and their audiences with the inspiring message that we all are part of life's big picture. Senior living residents from two communities in Atlanta, Georgia, collaborated with participants of all ages and abilities from the community-at-large to create a multidisciplinary performance blending dance, theater, music and visual art. And the active-aging professional who initiated the project envisions further opportunities to celebrate living well through creativity.
moreSocial wellness
Strong relationships: A prescription for healthy aging by Jeff Rossman, PhD
My father, who just turned 90, shared with me on more than one occasion that he has outlived all his lifelong friends. So, when my mother passed away a few years ago, we worried how Dad would fare. We feared the lack of companionship could affect his health and emotional well-being. When Dad told us several months later that he had begun seeing a lovely woman whom he met on the Internet, we were thrilled for him. One of their first dates was for dinner at a senior center to which she belongs. That evening she introduced him to members of the Choraliers, a group of about 50 men and women in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s who put on a theatrical production every eight weeks that includes singing, dancing and acting. This piqued Dad's curiosity .... and he decided to join the group. He is excited to attend the rehearsals and be part of a friendly, tight-knit group who share their love of music and provide support and camaraderie to one another. They share a bond that brings joy and a sense of belonging, and helps them age gracefully.
moreSocial wellness
Hospice on your bucket list: More insights and inspirations by Kimberly Baumgarten, RN, FCN, with Mary E. Sanders, PhD, CDE, ACSM-RCEP, FACSM
As a geriatric nurse, I see the last season of life as richly beautiful. My passion is to walk alongside others during their toughest times and to teach other professionals not only how to do this too, but also to walk in a way that is a healing balm for all involved. To show that healing can happen to the body, but even if that fails, healing can be brought to the spirits of our residents and their families. I invite you to walk with me as we discuss hospice and end-of-life crossroads. The stories that follow have inspired me. I hope they encourage you, along with your families and your residents or members, to undertake these important conversations.
moreSocial wellness
Is hospice on your bucket list? by Kimberly Baumgarten, RN, FCN, with Mary E. Sanders, PhD, CDE, ACSM-RCEP, FACSM
When the call came for me to fly home to Indiana, I knew things were critical. My father had contracted Legionnaires pneumonia. He was 77 years old, in poor health and on a ventilator in a hospital's intensive care unit. When I arrived, I instantly went into nursing mode, praying that logic might win over a daughter's fear. I sat down next to my father, watching the monitors--but I knew he was in trouble. From what I was seeing, this man was going to die. At best, he might stay alive a month or two while remaining on a ventilator. As I talked to the doctor about what I was seeing and thinking, he responded in the truest nature of an ICU physician, beginning with all that had been done for my father and what the next step was. I stopped him and asked, "Will this save my father's life or just prolong the inevitable?" The doctor hung his head and said, "Prolong" ... My father made the choice [to remove the ventilator] and we honored it by changing to hospice-based care. ... Trauma or peace? In facing end-of-life experiences, we all may plan the memory we want to leave and support others in planning their own.
moreSocial wellness
Technologies to connect socially: Seven profiles of products, programs and providers by Tammy Ditmore
In 1998, Jack York's friend Leslie Sweeney talked him into donating computers to an assisted-living community in California. There, York was startled to discover how "disconnected and lonely" the residents were and disheartened because he knew conventional technology couldn't help much. So Leslie, Jack and his brother Tom launched It's Never 2 Late (iN2L) in 1999 with the idea that people deserve interaction no matter how old they are. York says they spent a decade or so trying to "figure out what we were doing." Eventually, iN2L learned how to integrate hardware, software, videos, music and personal components into an adaptive computer system now used in more than 2,500 senior living communities in the United States and other countries.
more