
Aging & Wellness
Exercise May Reduce Falls Risk Via Cognitive Benefits
Research has shown that falls reduction programs that include exercise are most effective for reducing falls risk. It is often assumed that these programs are…
Generativity: Contributing to Others May Enhance Well-Being
Scholars of the life course have long hypothesized that generativity, or constructive activity that benefits others, is important to mid- and later-life human development. (Examples…
Hospitalization & Cognitive Decline
Hospitalization of individuals is often necessary, but it can be associated with several risks. For example, among older adults, hospitalization has been linked to an…
Air Pollution & Cognitive Decline
Researchers who study cognitive decline are working to identify modifiable risk factors and other ways of reducing or delaying dementia. Epidemiological research has suggested that…
Aging in (a Nice New) Place
A truism has developed within the senior housing industry over the last couple of decades: older adults want to age in place. This is a…
Defining “Healthy Aging”
The concept of “successful aging,” as coined by gerontologists Rowe and Kahn, has been influential in gerontology and has advanced scholarly understanding of healthy aging.…
Early Life Experience & Successful Aging
Proponents of the “successful aging” model argue that later-life aging should be viewed as more than a process of physical and cognitive decline. The successful…
Building Evidence for Dementia Prevention
As was the case in 2010 when the National Institutes of Health issued a consensus statement on the prevention of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, there…
Gait, Cognition, & Falls Risk
Gait performance—the ability to walk steadily at a useful pace—is a strong predictor of falls. Because gait involves the incorporation of multiple cognitive and physical…
Is Strength Training or Power Training More Effective Against Frailty?
Frailty is a common risk associated with aging and is predictive of many poor outcomes. Much research exists that demonstrates the utility of physical exercise…
Can Physical Activity Halt Decline in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)?
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a diagnosis of cognitive decline that is greater than would be expected based on age and education, but which does…
Measuring Physical Resilience
Resilience is the ability to adaptively respond to challenges and adverse events. There are many types of resilience—emotional resilience, for example, is one form of…
