Creative Expression and Quality of Life: A Vital Relationship for Elders

Abstract

Introduction Creativity has always been at the heart of our experience as human beings. Throughout the lifespan, creativity is our partner as we adapt to new environments, cope with life itself, and express ourselves along the way. This need tor creativity never ends: We continue to encounter new places and experience fresh challenges, and we constantly need to express ourselves. For decades, American culture neglected to recognize this innate creativity in elders, who were too often viewed as debilitated and in need of medical attention. But in the past five years, this attitude has shifted dramatically toward an understanding of aging as a natural process that comes with not only its own set of problems but also unique strengths. VVe are looking more closely at these strengths and discovering new ways to celebrate them. For example, the American Society on Aging has committed to this approach in its new strategic plan. The relatively new field of creativity and aging has laid the foundation for the arts to play a major role in how we understand and experience aging going forward. There is a vital relationship between creative expression and the quality of life of older people and their communities. In 1998, the National Endowment for the Arts asked Elders Share the Arts, a nonprofit organization in Brooklyn, New York, to research arts programs tor older people throughout the country. That initiative led to the creation of the National Center tor Creative Aging, which was formally established in 2001. The center fosters an understanding of the vital relationship between creative expression and the quality of life of older people. In this issue of Generations, we present the views of a diverse group of leaders in the field arts program directors, healthcare professionals, artists, writers, and policy makers -all of whom are opening up the world of creativity to elders. We begin our journey with Gene Cohcn, whose research serves as a foundation for this issue -and in many ways for the field at large. Hc provides details about his path-breaking study-the first national longitudinal study of its kind to measure the impact of cultural programs on the health and well-being of older adults. Preliminary results indicate that those who participate in such programs experience better overall health and quality of life. At last, we have evidence-based research for what we often sensed to be true-that creativity matters! We then take a look at how the arts are flourishing in healthcare. Anne Davis Basting, creator of the TimeSlips process, discusses arts in the care of older adults with dementia. Raquel Chapin Stephenson, an art therapist, and the artist Jaime Permuth provide two perspectives on arts programs for older adults, showing how these programs are valuable in different ways. And in an article by Pamela Braverman Schmidt, we see how famous artists like Georgia O'Keeffe and Claude Monet serve as prime examples of the power of creative aging. In the area of arts and vital aging, we consider how creative aging encourages relationships between generations and builds community, in addition to facilitating creative expression. For centuries, older folk artists have served as keepers of culture, passing on to younger generations cultural traditions with their stories and arts and crafts, from quilting to carving. Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Mary Hufford, Marjorie Hunt, and Steve Zeitlin provide their view on elders as repositories and creators of culture. …