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 promotion
Active Aging Week 2010
It all began in 2003 with an idea: If people had a chance to try out or learn about wellness activities, maybe they would discover an approach that suited their lifestyles and interests. Active Aging Week was launched.
Today, in 2010, Active Aging Week is a special occasion that many hosts and older adults look forward to. Hosts say they gain new participants and reinspire their regulars. Participants discover that many activities contribute to their enjoyment and participation in life. And, since they often help plan and run the week’s events, they become ambassadors to their friends and neighbors.
Health promotion
Active Aging Week 2010: kicking off the planning stage
Older adults living life as fully as possible within the dimensions of wellness—that is the concept of aging promoted by Active Aging Week, the annual health promotion event spearheaded by the International Council on Active Aging® (ICAA).
Because wellness is a multidimensional model—one that encompasses physical, spiritual, vocational, intellectual, social, emotional and environmental wellness—a myriad of activities can enhance health and well-being. The key is to find the right activities for an individual. By offering everything from health fairs to lectures, brain games to concerts, dances to walks, and painting to canoeing, professionals in the ICAA community help older adults discover how to “be active your way”—the theme of Active Aging Week 2010.
Health promotion
Guidelines for physical activity: pointers for active-aging professionals by Judy Kruger, PhD
Released by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans offer important new information to help people of all ages and conditions improve health through physical activity. This set of recommendations, based on a thorough review of the scientific evidence, presents clear guidelines for different population groups. These include older adults, individuals with disabilities, and those with chronic medical conditions, among others.
moreHealth promotion
Riding a bicycle: help learning and returning adults by W. Preston Tyree
If you think of what bicycling offers children, you begin to understand why it’s also valuable for older adults. When instructors for the League of American Bicyclists teach Smart Cycling® classes, we frequently ask people about their first experiences with a bicycle. When students come up with one word that describes their early experiences, it is usually "freedom." But the list generally has lots of great words like: independence, adventure, friends, fun and money.
Bicycling is all of those things—and more even—for mature cyclists. Going to the local coffee shop to meet with friends provides exercise, camaraderie and a chance to catch up with what is going on in the neighborhood. Older cyclists can use a bicycle to shop for groceries, visit the library, ride in the park with their grandchildren and even visit the doctor.
Health promotion
FIT Activity IN! by Mary Sanders, PhD, FACSM
Physical activity slows physiological changes associated with aging, improves exercise capacity, optimizes healthy weight and body composition, promotes psychological and cognitive well-being, helps to manage chronic diseases, reduces the risk of disability and increases longevity (ACSM, 2010). Positive improvements can occur at any age.
moreHealth promotion
Spread the message of active aging by Krystyna Kasprzak, BA
For the past six years, the last week of September has been celebrated in many communities across North America as Active Aging Week. The concept of active aging can be summed up in the phrase “engaged in life.” Individuals can participate in life as fully as possible, regardless of socioeconomic status or health conditions, within the wellness dimensions (physical, social, spiritual, emotional, intellectual and vocational).
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