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- Research
HomeLab: A real-life testing ground for older-adult products and services by Marilynn Larkin, MA
From home health care to government agencies to senior living, organizations are looking for effective ways to promote health, wellness, quality of life and safety for older adults where they live--whether in family homes in the community or in cottages and apartments on a senior living campus. Products, services and, increasingly, technologies are part of the answer. But to ensure that offerings meet the needs and goals of older adults and organizations today, plus shape future possibilities, the active-aging industry needs to assist those who design, manufacture and supply them. Many Journal on Active Aging readers express a desire to have their organizations participate in research, and so I'm focusing this column on the Georgia Institute of Technology's HomeLab. An initiative of Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), HomeLab brings together an interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers to do research with older adults. The program is exciting, and expanding, so there's an opportunity to get involved!
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Research writes the business case for wellness. With: The National Benchmarks Report 2017: Executive Summary
Animated discussion heats up a conference room as the value of the wellness lifestyle program is questioned by residents, board members, and a weary chief financial officer who burnt the midnight oil to balance the community's budget for the next six months. In a different office, architects and builders balancing square footage with revenue debate the quantity of lifestyle programming and staff needed to attract residents to a new development (after all, there's already a clubhouse). Are staffed wellness programs with lots of variety worth the money? Three years of data from the ICAA/ProMatura Wellness Benchmarks answer that question with a simple--and loud--yes!
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Overcoming fear of technology: 5 points to put you at ease by Marilynn Larkin, MA
If you're afraid of technology, you have plenty of company. A couple of years ago, The Atlantic magazine published an article entitled "Americans are more afraid of robots than death." The author reported on a national survey from Chapman University in Orange, California, that found that three tech-related fears--"cyberterrorism," "corporate tracking of personal information" and "government tracking of personal information"--were among Americans' top five fears in 2015. ..Christopher Bader, PhD, a sociology professor at Chapman and a coauthor of the fear survey, is quoted as saying, "People tend to express the highest level of fear for things they're dependent on but that they don't have any control over, and that's almost a perfect definition of technology."
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Trends in technology purchases by Patricia Ryan, MS
In the active-aging industry, there are two sides to every story. One point of view is that of 50+ consumers who seek the products and services that are compatible with their lifestyles or needs. The other side of the story is voiced by professionals who provide those products and services in all types of locations--senior living communities and private homes, apartments and parks, community centers and clubs. Awareness of the interests of the 50+ consumer was high among the professionals who answered the ICAA Active-Aging Industry Development Survey earlier this year. The consensus, when the ICAA team looked at trends, was that Boomers and technology are top of mind.
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Activity trackers: What's all the fuss about these small yet significant devices? by Carol Kennedy-Armbruster, PhD
Millions of people of all ages are reaching for activity trackers (ATs) to help them increase their activity levels. These trackers, examples of wearable technology, are offered in a variety of forms and styles by companies such as Fitbit and Garmin, but all are designed to encourage wearers to move more and sit less. Recent research indicates that ATs may help users increase their physical activity levels through a combination of information, physical cues and behavioral techniques such as goal-setting, social support and motivational rewards.
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Lessons learned from benchmarking wellness by Patricia Ryan, MS, and Colin Milner
What can organizations dedicated to older-adult quality of life learn about the value of wellness programming from the 99 communities with independent and assisted levels of living, as well as 3,000 residents, who participate in the ICAA/ProMatura Wellness Benchmarks? The system aggregates data from resident survey responses and outcomes measures to reveal the impact of wellness programming from a business perspective. It also takes note of how participation affects quality of life for residents.
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