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- Industry development
Deconstructing 'old': Implications for society and the active-aging industry by Marilynn Larkin, MA
It's no secret that people today are living longer, healthier lives than in any previous generation. From a longevity standpoint, the world was home to nearly half a million centenarians in 2015, more than four times as many as in 1990. Projections suggest there will be 3.7 million centenarians across the globe in 2050. The number of people 80 years and older is projected to increase steadily as well, tripling from 143 million in 2019 to 426 million in 2050. From a health and wellness standpoint-and more to the point for the active-aging industry-that longevity is accompanied by changing expectations not only of what it means to grow older, but what needs and aspirations will change along with these demographics, notes International Council on Active Aging founder/CEO Colin Milner. "We're at a crossroads in the field of aging where our perceptions and reality are finally catching up to what science shows-namely, that we are much more capable than was previously thought," Milner states. We have a new normal, a first step towards deconstructing a concept of aging built on stereotypes of dependency and decline. What it means for the active-aging industry is change."
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Shining examples: ICAA and NuStep name 25 "Best in Wellness"
Twenty-five communities have been recognized with the 2019 ICAA NuStep Beacon Award honoring their "Best in Wellness" achievements. The Beacon Award was created as a joint venture between the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) and NuStep, LLC, a longtime partner of ICAA and a manufacturer of recumbent cross-trainers used in healthcare, senior living and fitness settings. Launched in 2019, the ICAA NuStep Beacon Award program is awarded to communities that successfully foster a wellness culture and an environment that supports wellness for all who live and work there. Among the Beacon Award winners, the top five communities have also received the ICAA NuStep Pinnacle Award for their particularly exceptional contributions. "It is a pleasure to honor the top 25 wellness communities," says Jane Benskey, marketing communications specialist at NuStep, LLC. "Their recognition of the value and importance of creating cultures where wellness is not a program in a room, but rather a way of life, is having a lasting and positive impact on many lives."
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What is wellness? Defining and acting upon a clear and comprehensive vision (with accompanying guidelines "Creating your blueprint for a wellness-based community," based on ICAA Forum 2019 recommendat
What is wellness? How you answer this question has a direct impact on everything your organization does--from your mission statement, to programming, to the built environment, to staffing, to educating your team. Perhaps you are among the nearly 60% of senior living staff and management who said in a 2018 International Council on Active Aging survey that they expect their community to transition to a wellness-based model with care by 2023. Whether you intend to change your business model or to create or evolve a wellness culture, everything you develop will reflect your view of wellness. ... Clarity in what wellness means to your organization bolsters everything you do to create, implement or evolve a business model whose primary focus is wellness. ICAA's new definition of wellness offers you a starting point. The accompanying guidelines ["Creating your blueprint for a wellness-based community"] will help you implement it.
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"Thriving with dementia": Innovative efforts to support quality of life by Sally Abrahms
Older adults are getting even older. Thanks to better health, science and technology, many more people are living into their 80s and 90s. Because advancing age is a risk for dementia (a syndrome that includes symptoms such as memory loss and impaired thinking), the World Health Organization predicts that people with dementia will triple in number worldwide within three decades-from about 50 million today to 152 million by 2050. Currently, up to 70% of dementia cases may involve Alzheimer's disease. While there is no cure for Alzheimer's, senior living providers, adult day centers, and Alzheimer's and dementia experts are increasingly approaching the disease (and other dementias) differently. "Dementia is about thriving, not just surviving" is the new mantra. ... From supportive environments to creative programs, innovative efforts help individuals thrive as they navigate this life passage.
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A new master plan for senior living by Sally Abrahms
Senior living is changing. While traditional stand-alone, age-segregated senior living communities will soon have fewer and fewer takers, forward-thinking communities are bringing the inside out and the outside in. What does that mean? Residents are increasingly becoming part of the larger community, whether it is interacting with neighbors of any age or people from around their town or city. And enterprising developers are repositioning their senior living communities as fun destinations to visit with great amenities that appeal to everyone. There are already master planned communities with care and retail, restaurants, stores, office and medical buildings, schools, wellness spas, hotels and homes. They may have a variety of housing...and people at different life stages in the same neighborhood.
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What's trending in digital health technologies to support aging in place?
The number of Americans aged 65 or older reached 50 million in 2016 and is expected to reach 95 million by the year 2060. The impact of this age wave--a phenomenon seen worldwide as well as in the United States--has significant implications for products and services, not the least of which is healthcare. For more than two decades, studies have shown that elders want to age in place and remain among family and friends in familiar environments. Though there are currently many assistive devices and home-based services that exist to help communities and families handle challenges of aging, a trend is emerging to define and coordinate global strategies for creating digital health systems into a roadmap to the future ...
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