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- Management
Disruption-proof your senior housing business by Chip Conley, MBA
At a time when the "silver tsunami" should be a huge boon for senior housing developers in the United States and beyond, occupancy rates have trended downward for the past 10 quarters. There are countless examples of industries, from railroads to retail real estate, that fell into a slump exactly when consumer demand was spiking. Why? Often, they were too product or process oriented, and not enough consumer oriented, while their core customers' needs evolved over time. How does this rationale apply to the senior housing industry? Beyond well-known operational challenges like labor expenses and construction costs, even some newer, more innovative models may not be addressing the critical larger question: What do today's older customers really want in a housing environment? ... Maybe it's time we reimagine the senior housing model by using the lens of a serial disruptor in the hospitality industry.
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Meigs Council on Aging: Embracing, expanding and encouraging wellness in rural Ohio by Marilynn Larkin, MA
Beth Shaver was 33 years old in 1987 when she took a temporary job at the Meigs Council on Aging in Pomeroy, Ohio. "I was offered full time employment when that job ended and the rest is history," she says. She worked as a home health aide and held a number of other positions before being named executive director in 2004. Under her stewardship, the council has grown its multigenerational services, programs and resources despite financial and cultural challenges. It operates in Meigs County, a mostly rural Appalachian county with 23,000+ residents and a high poverty rate. Adults 65 and older account for nearly 20% of the population.
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Workplace bullying: Understanding its broader impact and consequences by Kathie C. Garbe, PhD, MCHES
Every person has the right to work in an organization that is fair, equitable and treats people with respect and dignity. Recent research shows that employees would choose a working environment that is supportive and enjoyable over one that offers more financial rewards. Employees who harass and abuse their coworkers substantially disrupt the work environment. Such disruption, called workplace bullying, can negatively impact the entire organization if it is not prevented and managed. By learning about and better understanding workplace bullying, however, organizational managers and leaders can be better prepared to address this situation if it arises.
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Partnerships with schools: Establishing internships and service-learning programs by Kathie C. Garbe, PhD, MCHES
Every fall, spring and summer thousands of college and high school students will look for an internship or service-learning experience. Students seek real-world experience, understanding of different career choices, practicum hours and letters of recommendation to get into college or graduate school, potential jobs, or opportunities to complete service projects for classes. These activities fall under the concept of experiential education, or learning through experience outside of the classroom. Through internships and service-learning programs, students hope to integrate knowledge and skills gained through academic training and apply them to a real-life situation. Organizations that work with these programs experience positive outcomes as well as mutually beneficial rewards.
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'Bullying among older adults by Kathie C. Garbe, PhD, MCHES
"Bullying behavior doesn't just happen on the playground or the school cafeteria anymore," shares Robin P. Bonifas, PhD, MSW. "Older-adult bullies really do exist in all types of communities." An associate professor in the University of Arizona's School of Social Work and the vice-president of the Association of Gerontology Education in Social Work, Bonifas has been studying resident-to-resident aggression among older adults, specifically bullying behavior, for a number of years. She also wrote a book on the topic .... Bonifas sees bullying behavior as a consequence of some concerns people have about getting older as well as some issues characteristic of living in communal settings. In this interview for the Journal on Active Aging, she provides an overview of peer-to-peer bullying among older adults, the impact it has on individuals as well as the living environment, and the issues that must be addressed to increase awareness and prevent bullying behavior.
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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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