On Wed, Aug. 8, I attended Aging Artfully, an event sponsored by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, featuring panels, exhibits and a special film screening of My Annie Hall, a 30 minute parody of Woody Allen’s classic movie starring two members of a Manhattan senior center.
Except possibly for my skills in nature and landscape photography, I’ve never really considered myself as an artist. I imagine that many seniors also feel that it would be futile to begin a new arts activity since they lack the necessary talent. But as I learned at this event, everyone can benefit from the arts, and there are multiple health benefits from doing so.
In the Creativity and Aging Study done in 2006, Dr. Gene Cohen demonstrated that ‘community-based cultural programs for older adults appear to reduce risk factors that drive the need for long-term care.’ For those engaged in arts activities, there were overall improvements in health as well as reduced levels of doctor visits, prescription / over-the-counter medication usage and falls. Additional studies described here have repeated these findings, including the 2017 report Staying Engaged: Health Patterns of Older Americans Who Engage in the Arts.
At this week’s event, I attended a session led by Ed Friedman, Executive Director and co-founder of Lifetime Arts, an organization focused on “enriching the lives of older adults through arts education.” I asked whether it was better to pick an arts activity that we once enjoyed earlier in life, or if we could get similar benefits from starting something new. He replied that both would work fine and that we shouldn’t hesitate to pick something that we haven’t done before. The benefits come from the activity, not from having to attain a certain level of talent. In NYC, public libraries are a great place to find arts activities. (It is ideal to join classes as this also provides a way to interact with others and with your community.) View Ed’s presentation Creative Aging in Community Settings.
A few of the wonderful programs / nonprofits described at the event:
- Su Casa, which provides teaching artists at senior center
- Young at Heart Chorus, featured in this documentary
- Music and Memory, which helps the memory impaired with personalized music
- Arts and Minds, which improves the quality of life of those with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias by engaging with art
- Dances for a Variable Population, which promotes strong and creative movement among adults of all ages and abilities
As we age, we accumulate a vast amount of stories and experience which are important for others to hear and benefit from. Arts are a great way to that. So as challenged by Jorge Merced, board member of the National Center for Creative Aging during the keynote panel presentation, “What type of arts will you engage in this week?” If the first activity you choose doesn’t hold your interest, choose something else – there’s much to select from. Yes, you can be an artist and no previous experience is required.
Need more encouragement? Attend the Symposium for Positive Aging at the JCC Manhattan on Mon, Oct 22.