Older Adults Articles

AARP and the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) have joined forces to educate each other’s members. ICAA will help improve knowledge about active aging among the more than 35 million Americans who are AARP members. In return, AARP will enlighten ICAA members with the latest information and research about aging and aging issues. “AARP offers a wide range of ...

Older men who walk more than 2 miles a day are less likely to experience dementia than those who are more sedentary, according to a study in the September 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (2004; 292 [12], 1447–53). A group of 2,257 physically capable men ages 71–93 participated in the Honolulu–Asia Aging Study. Researchers logged the d...

Silver Age Yoga is a unique yoga discipline designed for seniors that combines hatha yoga and principles of gerontology. The program was developed by seasoned yoga instructors in cooperation with scientists—many of them yoga practitioners—from the University of California at San Diego (UCSD); the Stein Institute for Research on Aging, a department of UCSD; and physicians affiliated with Scripps...

Older adults exposed to particles in the air may experience diminished cardiovascular function, says a recent study. Published in the February issue of American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2008; 177, 419–25), the study found that older adults exposed to miniscule indoor air particles could be at risk.

Older-adult fitness is booming. Once considered a specialty niche, older adults are entering fitness facilities in throngs, looking to regain function, prevent injury and improve quality of life. The fitness industry has also begun to widen its gaze to include persons living in active-retirement communities or assisted-living facilities. Professionals interested in ...

Fitness professionals are already in the business of health promotion. A recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Merck Company Foundation offers insight into key areas that need to be addressed among the older-adult population. The report, The State of Aging and Health in America 2007, presents current data on 15 key health indicators, in...

Many older adults are already used to getting at least one prescription when they visit the doctor. Two scientists have been asking what if, in addition to prescribing medications, physicians also prescribed exercise? Ann Yelmokas McDermott, PhD, a researcher in the Lipid Metabolism Laboratory at Tufts University, and Heather Mernitz, PhD, of the Nutrition and Cancer Biology Laboratory at...

Baby Boomers who border on pudgy when entering middle age may have more to worry about than just fitting into their designer jeans. A recent study says being even a little bit overweight can shorten your life. Reporting in the online version of The New England Journal of Medicine in August, researchers examined BMI as it related to the risk of death from any cause in more t...

For weeks, IDEA member James L. Bertram had gently tried to encourage Ann to join one of his exercise classes. “I’m too old to exercise,” she’d inevitably reply. But Bertram, who lives in Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, didn’t want to give up on the 83-year-old. He knew from experience teaching other assisted-living residents that his program would enliven her...

Many older adults contend not only with ailing physical health but also with depression, which lowers self-esteem and can wreak havoc with quality of life. Leading medical professionals, hoping to reduce costs and lower the risk of adverse side effects, are interested in alternatives to mainstream treatments, such as psychotherapy and prescription drugs. A new study suggests that qigong p...