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- Public policy
Healthy communities, active lifestyles
For 40 years, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has worked to protect the health of Americans and safeguard the environment in which they live, learn and work. EPA’s Aging Initiative, which focuses on older-adult health, spearheads a national recognition program for communities that are also striving to do both—the annual Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards. In February 2011, the agency named four recipients of its 2010 awards competition. These winning communities are improving people’s health and overall quality of life through smart growth neighborhoods, which are designed to reduce commutes and environmental harm—and promote active lifestyles.
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Accessible design: what adoption of the Revised ADA Standards means for the active-aging industry by Jessica Madrigal, MS
As the population of people in their 50s and beyond continues to increase in the coming years, many more individuals will face the risk of disability and chronic disease. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law enacted in the United States in 1990 to protect people with disabilities. Under the ADA, a person with a disability is someone who “has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.”
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Physical activity and older adults: maximizing the impact of America's Physical Activity Guidelines
In fall 2009, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) convened an expert meeting focused on maximizing the impact of the new Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans among older adults. Participants came up with numerous recommendations for enhancing the visibility of the Guidelines in the target population. They also suggested ways to improve the Aging Network’s commitment to, and participation in, promoting and disseminating this information.
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The longevity revolution: challenge or opportunity? by Colin Milner
Increased life expectancy is one of the most significant success stories of our times. Yet, this tribute to modern science is now considered one of the greatest global challenges as well, according to Laura L. Carstensen, PhD, founding director of the Stanford Center on Longevity. How did this happen? Two words: age apathy. Simply put, the world has been slow to respond to the needs, dreams, desires, capabilities and expectations of the swelling ranks of older people. With the leading-edge Baby Boomers poised to turn 65 in 2011, “most people are not confident that we are prepared or will be able to handle the costs generated by an aging population,” shows a recent Harris Poll.
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Transforming New York into an 'age-friendly' city: a model program by Marilynn Larkin, MA
By 2030, 20% of New York City’s population will be over the age of 60. Today, life expectancy at birth is 75.7 years for boys and 78.7 years for girls. Most New Yorkers can expect to live well beyond retirement—in fact, close to 12% of the city’s population is over age 65, and in some neighborhoods, the proportion is as much as 20%.
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International active aging: global agendas forge ahead by Marilynn Larkin, MA
The average age of the world’s population is increasing at an unprecedented rate, according to a recent report1 commissioned by the National Institute on Aging, one of the US National Institutes of Health. In mid-2008, there were an estimated 506 million people ages 65 and older worldwide. By 2040, that number will hit 1.3 billion, doubling the proportion of older people globally from 7% to 14%. The report also examines international population trends and their consequences (see page 69 for highlights). Greater longevity, lower fertility rates, and increased demands upon older adults to support their children (and often grandchildren) are among the forces driving multinational healthy/active-aging initiatives.
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