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- Health conditions
Meeting the fibromyalgia challenge by Mary E. Sanders
Widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue characterize fibromyalgia (FM), an arthritis-related syndrome of unknown origin. Other common FM symptoms include sleep disturbances, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic headaches, morning stiffness, and cognitive and memory impairments (Thorson,1992). A diagnosis of FM is based on the following criteria:
•The person has widespread pain on both sides, and above and below the belt.
•The person feels pain in 11 of 18 specified tender point sites when the tester applies pressure to these areas (Bennett, Smythe, & Wolfe, 1992).
Health conditions
Fibromyalgia and fitness: 10 guidelines for physical activity instructors by C. Jessie Jones
Can you imagine how frustrating and depressing it must be to wake up each and every morning wondering just how much physical pain and fatigue you’ll endure that day, and knowing there is no cure? Welcome to the life of people with fibromyalgia (FM).
Fibromyalgia (pronounced “fi-bro-my-AL-jia”) is not a disease, but rather a syndrome (or group of symptoms). Although the exact prevalence is unknown, reports suggest approximately 2–4% of the U.S. population has FM, with the onset of symptoms generally evident between ages 20–55 years. For reasons not understood, women account for 80% of individuals with this syndrome. In addition, the prevalence of FM increases with age, reaching greater than 7% in women ages 60–79 years.
Health conditions
Headaches 101 by Ruth Mansmith
More than 45 million Americans suffer from chronic headaches each year, according to the Chicago-based National Headache Foundation (NHF), a nonprofit organization that educates people about headache causes and treatments. Of those 45 million individuals, 28 million experience migraines, says NHF. A migraine is more than a bad headache. This legitimate biological disease affects 3% of Americans, meaning one in four households has a migraine sufferer.
moreHealth conditions
Exercises for dowager's hump by Karl Knopf, Ed.D, with Shari Feuz, B.S.
If you asked a high school student to play the role of an old woman, what posture would you expect that person to assume? Most people would say a stooped posture. This stereotypical posture is an external manifestation of osteoporosis, a painful disease that compromises bone strength and often results in fractures. Although traditionally considered an "old woman's disease," osteoporosis can develop in males and females of all ages and races.
moreHealth conditions
Effect of medication use on balance and mobility by Debra J. Rose, Ph.D.
In addition to certain medical conditions being strongly associated with increased fall risk among the elderly, both the type and number of medications prescribed to older adults contribute to heightened fall risk. Specifically, it has been demonstrated that older adults who are taking more than four prescription medications are four times more likely to sustain a fall than their peers who are taking fewer prescriptions medications (Campbell, Borrie & Spears, 1989).
Certain types of medications have also been shown
Health conditions
Preventing type 2 diabetes
Today, diabetes affects 17 million Americans. In 2002, the direct and indirect costs of the disease totaled $132 billion, or “one out of every ten healthcare dollars spent in the United States,†says the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Yet the healthcare burden and personal costs related to diabetes can largely be prevented through lifestyle modification.
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