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- Program profiles
Moving the bar: Active-aging innovators advance the industry
If "knowledge is power" and "information is king," what is innovation? From small adjustments that improve offerings, to "new ideas, methods or devices" that create new solutions, innovation is change. Innovators not only advance industries; they also sometimes transform them or create new ones. They may even transform the world around them. From brain health to nutrition to technology, the 2016 ICAA Innovators have created approaches to meet the needs of their communities, clients and colleagues and to leverage the opportunities available for everyone.
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BLOOM: Optimizing resident wellness at Sunnyside
Sunnyside Communities has a long history of providing services and living environments that care for the whole person. In 2014, Wellness Director Annie Shaffer and her colleagues at the organization's Sunnyside Retirement Community in Harrisonburg, Virginia, launched the BLOOM (Bringing Life Optimizing Opportunities Mainstream) Initiative. They developed the initiative “not just to support and build on our mission, but also to create a person-centered approach that empowered residents to reflect on their personal wellness, understand it, and recognize how it could be nurtured in a way that is most meaningful to them.”
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The Great Technology Divide: Bridging the gap by June C. Hussey
The birth of 76 million Baby Boomers between 1946 and 1964 created the largest generation gap of all time in the United States. If you want evidence the gap still exists, just take a peek into the depths of the Great Technology Divide. On the near side stands an army of consumers, mostly Boomers and younger, all a-twitter over their electronic gadgets. On the far side is the generation that technology left behind. Jack Herklotz, information technology director for Watermark Retirement Communities, remembers when he decided to help bridge the divide.
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Benchmark's Film Festival "builds community and engagement"
“At Benchmark Senior Living, we help every resident stay well, live well and be well,” promises the company’s website. In 2015, the organization launched the Benchmark Film Festival, an initiative that captivated the imaginations of residents and associates, inspiring creativity while building a sense of community. “This is a program that made all who participated laugh, cry and smile, and filled everyone’s hearts with joy,” shares Corporate Director of Programs and Customer Engagement Krystee Knapic.
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Steady for Life's Steady & Sharp Brain Carnival educates participants about brain health
Building Blocks for Healthy, Graceful Aging”--that’s the tagline inscribed on the logo of Steady for Life Inc., a charitable nonprofit organization located in Huntsville, Alabama. Nurturing those building blocks is the driving passion of the organization’s founders. Steady for Life “was started by four senior-fitness instructors and a healthcare marketeer who wanted to make a difference in the lives of older adults in a physical, emotional and social way,” says Executive Director Kim Davis. Its primary mission involves “equipping mature adults with strength, flexibility and balance techniques to diminish the risk of falls." The company also offers “social activities, travel opportunities, health seminars, screenings and special programs to help clients maintain independence, happiness and lasting friendships.” One such offering is the Steady & Sharp Brain Carnival.
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Wellness Works: promoting healthy lifestyles for Freedom Senior Management employees
Freedom Senior Management has a history that spans decades. For over 30 years, "the executive leadership have been active in the senior living industry as owners, marketers, developers and operators of independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing facilities," reveals Chief Operating Officer Gail Chase. The Sarasota, Florida-based organization currently has ... "a total employee population of over 500." Freedom embraces employee wellness as essential to resident wellness, states Jennifer Walker, director of human resources and organization development.
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