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- Market opportunities
Boomer factoids are barriers to business success by G. Richard Ambrosius, MA
When talking about Russia in a 1939 radio address, Sir Winston Churchill said, “It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” This is also a good description of the future impact of the Baby Boom, in spite of the growing horde of Boomer experts offering such definitive conclusions as:
• Boomers will be teenagers forever—age 60 is the new 30.
• Boomers will be a drain on the economy and overwhelm the healthcare systems.
• Boomers will reinvent retirement.
• Boomers will not tolerate stereotypes.
Market opportunities
Champions of potential: life coaching for older adults by Lorna Francis, PhD, and Jenifer Milner
Life coaching emerged as a profession out of the turbulent 1990s workplace. Individuals stressed by corporate life, transitions, downsizing and outplacing (in which executives were eased out and provided help in finding new work) began seeking help to overcome challenges and improve performance. They found this support in personal coaches.
moreMarket opportunities
Ten keys to a successful franchise
Owning a franchise is a perfect place to start if you’re looking for a lucrative income stream. Unlike creating a business, a franchise involves no guesswork and comes with instructions, so you do not have to reinvent the wheel. Franchises also have a success rate that far outnumbers that of independent businesses. About 97% of franchises are still in business at the end of 5–6 years, compared to just 62% of independent businesses, according to a 1999 United States Chamber of Commerce report.
moreMarket opportunities
Massage therapy for older adults by Elaine Jones
Massage therapy is a valued amenity in an aging society. Research has shown that this service improves health, function and well-being among both healthy individuals and those coping with chronic or even advanced illness. Given the evidence, more older Americans, along with their families and healthcare providers, now view massage as beneficial. In fact, older adults have the fastest growing rate of massage use in the United States, even as overall use continues to rise.
moreMarket opportunities
Create an age-friendly wellness center by Colin Milner
For millions of Americans, the so-called golden years might soon become the active years, according to new research in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Published in 2002, the study by researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that retirement can be a time of rejuvenation for older adults. A recent study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine supports this finding. Researchers discovered that older adults may feel so good about their progress once they start being active that they stick with their program over time. During the year-long study, 80% of the participants stayed the course. These individuals liked the way exercise made them feel more energetic, vibrant, independent and strong.
moreMarket opportunities
Strike gold: profitable pilates programming by Lindsay Merrithew
The wellness rush is on. Baby boomers heading north of 50 prospect for ways to preserve their health. And they’re discovering the landscape of mind-body fitness, thanks to the mainstream media’s interest in the subject.
Heavy publicity fuels public awareness of and demand for holistic programs across the age spectrum. But today’s older adults have a special affinity for mind-body approaches such as contemporary pilates, and they increasingly stake their well-being on these practices, as the walls between conventional and alternative medicine erode.
