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- Thought leaders
Embracing the opportunities and realities of an aging global population by Colin Milner
Global populations will continue to age rapidly, transforming societies and economies in coming decades. While this shift brings complex challenges, demographic futurist Bradley Schurman, author of The Super Age: Decoding Our Demographic Destiny, argues it presents vast opportunities if the proper strategies are implemented.
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Peter Thompson: Transforming a bold vision into an impactful reality by Julie King, MS
This 2022 ICAA NuStep Pinnacle Award-winning CEO introduces the next generation of community centers and looks back at what it took to develop the award-winning Center at Belvedere, recognized in the Pinnacle's Community Center category.
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The future of longevity: the science of thriving into late life by Colin Milner
Michael Roizen, MD, discusses the transformative potential of advances in longevity research, offering insights into the key pillars of healthy aging and the impact on healthcare and communities.
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Dr. Kenneth Cooper promotes living better longer by Julie King, MS
How do you go from an overweight 29-year-old to the "Father of Aerobics"? An unexpected epiphany led Kenneth H. Cooper, MD, MPH, to a life-altering change in career course. While water skiing in 1960, he felt like he was having a heart attack. At the hospital, the doctor determined that Dr. Cooper's heart was healthy, but he was out of shape. He had experienced a temporary irregular heartbeat. Poor nutrition and inactivity during his medical studies and residency had pushed Cooper's weight to 204 lbs., a gain of more than 30 lbs. This physical deconditioning was then compounded by pressures related to his military career and new marriage. His critical wake-up call both humbled and motivated the former high-school basketball All-Star and state track champion, and physician. Cooper started running the next day and, in 1962, completed his first Boston Marathon. Over the six months following his health scare, he shed 40 lbs. by exercising and following a healthy diet. His prediabetes and hypertension disappeared, replaced by his firsthand knowledge that exercise was a critical--and largely ignored--part of healthcare. "My experience," Cooper says, "proved how regular exercise could significantly improve your health. I had to share this revelation." Cooper has been on a mission to change the health of Americans ever since.
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Dr. Walter M. Bortz II: A tireless advocate of active aging by Kathie C. Garbe, PhD, MCHES, CSM
How long can we live? How long will humans live in the future? What can we do to live a longer and better quality of life? As professionals in the active-aging and wellness industry, what can we do to promote ways to live a higher quality of life for a longer time? I recently had the honor to interview Walter M. Bortz II, MD, a pioneer in the research of active and robust aging. Today, he is recognized as one of America's most renowned scientific experts on active aging, physical exercise and longevity. In our recent interview for the Journal on Active Aging, Dr. Bortz and I discussed the impact of physical activity on brain health; the current landscape of health, medicine and aging; the long-term impact of COVID-19; and the importance of educating people about health, among other topics.
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Seeking change: A vision from the past points the way to the future by Colin Milner
When the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) launched nearly 20 years ago (October 1, 2001), I envisioned a professional association that would bring people together across sectors to foster active, productive, healthy aging. I never imagined that in the years to follow I would have the opportunity to collaborate with many of the most innovative and influential minds of our times. From prime ministers to surgeons general, best-selling authors to titans of industry, and Nobel Laureates to a Pulitzer Prize winner, each in their own right has been a visionary thought leader, futurist, activist or change-maker who has dedicated their life to helping society reimagine its response to rapidly aging populations. So, I felt intrigued when an advance reading copy arrived of Dr. Ken Dychtwald's "sort-of-memoir," due to be published in April 2021. This book promised glimpses of how the author, researcher, active-aging guiding light, and CEO of the San Francisco-based consultancy Age Wave went from working-class roots in New Jersey to working with people like Senator John McCain and US Presidents Reagan, Carter and Clinton. Yet, in the end, what really captured my attention was a chapter featuring his 1978 interview with then-septuagenarian Maggie Kuhn. It turns out she was far ahead of her time. To me, the interview could have been done yesterday. It left me with an obvious question: Have we really changed the way we approach and respond to population aging, aging itself or the way we view aging?
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