The Arts and Aging: A Combination that Will Benefit You

Have you ever longed to hear the applause of an audience, clapping wildly just for you? Do you long to fill a blank canvas with your very own brush strokes? Do you have a poem in your heart, just waiting to be recited? If so, we have good news. Arts programs designed specifically for seniors are springing up across the United States. People are gladly signing up, and finding some health and social benefits along the way.

Here are four great examples.

In Burbank, CA, the Senior Artists Colony is an arts collective with 141 units. The colony has a senior theater group, independent film company, fine arts collective, and an intergenerational arts program.
In Brooklyn, New York, Elders Share the Arts (ESTA) offers creative writing, story telling, visual arts, and theater programs staffed by professional artists. One of their programs is the Story Circle, in which seniors work with a writer who helps them craft their reminiscences. The participants then conduct public readings of their work. Another ESTA program, Pearls of Wisdom, is a touring ensemble of senior storytellers. They have performed at the Lincoln Center and United Nations.
In Wayland, MA, the Golden Tones is a 60-person chorus founded by professional singer Maddie Sifantus. The popular group of singing seniors performs 60 concerts a year.
The OASIS Institute in St. Louis, MO offers seniors programs in drawing, painting, pottery, and other arts activities. They also publish the Oasis Journal , an annually published anthology featuring the juried art of older writers and photographers.

These programs are part of a movement fittingly called Creativity and Aging. Yes, the movement includes arts and crafts programs in senior centers and nursing homes, which are tried-and-true activities for participants. In addition, the range of options is expanding widely to include sophisticated programs taught or orchestrated by professional artists. These opportunities appeal to active seniors of all ages.

Not only is the Creativity and Aging movement fun and enriching, the programs are wonderfully good for you. Research conducted at the Center on Aging, Health & Humanities (CAHH) at George Washington University has found a direct connection between creative expression and healthy aging, says Gene D. Cohen, MD, PhD, director CAHH. Cohen’s research showed that arts programs for seniors heightened morale, lessened depression, increased social and recreational activities, and decreased doctor visits and medication usage among senior artists. “Considering that the average age of participants at the study’s start was 80, the reporting of widespread improvement is remarkable,” says Dr. Cohen.

So what’s stopping you? To locate a creativity and aging program in your geographic area, download The National Arts and Aging Resource Directory at www.creativeaging.org/ccasearchform.cfm. There are currently 175 programs in the country, and the list is growing.
And here are a couple of other resources:

To find out more about creativity and aging and the study conducted by Dr. Cohen, contact The Center on Aging, Health & Humanities/National Center for Creative Aging, 4125 Albemarle Street, NW, Washington, DC 20016, www.creativeaging.org/.
Sign up for Creative Aging, a national e-newsletter dedicated exclusively to the field of creativity and aging. The newsletter includes interviews and profiles of senior artists and practitioners and a national listing of performances, exhibits, publications, and trainings. Go to www.creativeaging.org/where_enews.html.