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- Leadership
Five steps to create an out-of-the-box vision for your project by Ross A. Jones, AIA, NCARB
Crabbing may be one of the most dangerous jobs of all. But crabbers have it easy in one respect: They don’t have to mind their catch. That’s because if one crab starts to climb out of the crab box, the other crabs will pull it back in.
For a variety of reasons, businesses can act as crabs in the box do. Safety in numbers is probably near the top of the list of fear-motivated reasons. (As a Japanese saying goes, “The nail that sticks out gets pounded down.”) Alas, self-preservation and avoiding discomfort are other reasons we can add to the list of reasons to keep a low profile. Perhaps you’ve heard the expression, “One step ahead, you are a leader; two steps ahead, you are a target.” It’s an art, or at least an imprecise science, to know the line that separates the two.
Leadership
Blogs, social media and the Web: how to help your clients engage online by Marilynn Larkin, MA
Recent research confirms what many members of the International Council on Active Aging® (ICAA) are seeing in their organizations and communities—namely, dramatic increases in the use of social networking and online networking tools. According to the nonprofit Pew Research Center in Washington, DC, social networking use among American Internet users ages 50 and older nearly doubled—from 22% to 42%—between April 2009 and May 2010. At that point, half (47%) of users ages 50–64 and one in four (26%) users ages 65 and older used social networking sites.
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Three approaches to gathering input
Wellness staff members are often advised to involve clients in planning and delivering programs. Research has shown that when older adults feel they have a level of control over their surroundings and activities, they are more satisfied with life (Bekhet & Zauszniewski, 2011; Netuveli & Blane, 2008).
At the same time, staff members’ jobs are to plan and deliver programs. How does input from older adults mix with the work of the professionals?
Leadership
Living well with dementia: guidance for exercise instructors & wellness leaders
Living well with dementia will challenge increasing numbers of people in the years to come, as the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias continues to rise1 (see the box on page 66). Wellness and exercise instructors and physical activity leaders have the opportunity to play a particularly valuable supporting role. Understandably, however, many find it difficult to know where to start or how to approach this area of practice.
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Techniques to encourage progress by Kelly A. Stranburg, MEd
During this millennium of wellness, we strive daily to guide older adults down the best path towards greater health and an improved quality of life. We implement programs within each of the dimensions of wellness with the ultimate goal of meeting the personal needs and interests of our residents while keeping them engaged in life and functioning at their highest practicable level.
Encouraging residents to participate in a variety of exercise classes is a positive avenue for helping them achieve this goal. Focusing on strength, balance, mobility and flexibility can lead to improvement or maintenance of independence. Without guidance and encouragement, residents will not improve these physical components and thus not be able to perform simple activities of daily living over time.
Leadership
Effective physical activity for the oldest-old by Marilynn Larkin, MA
On any given day, Tony Martin, 97, might be among the Hollywood personalities doing yoga under the guidance of Yuriko Byers, a personal yoga trainer from Malibu, California. Although Martin is a relatively new client, Byers worked with his wife, Cyd Charisse (who died in 2008), for many years. In a career spanning close to 40 years, Byers has learned that celebrities are no different from others when it comes to doing yoga: They may need some prodding and encouragement, but they appreciate the benefits, which include stress reduction and the ability to center themselves, as well as function better.
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