ON A GOOD NOTE
TEXT BY MIA HENLEY | PHOTOS COURTESY OF CREATIVE AGING
creative aging's
singular focus is on enriching seniors’ lives through the arts. Since 2004, Creative Aging has offered older adults meaningful opportunities to learn, laugh and connect to community through arts engagement. Originally presented only in person, Creative Aging now offers events in person and online. It partners with over 75 diverse senior communities, museums and libraries, leveraging the talent of more than 100 individual artists and arts organizations—Theatre Memphis, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Collage Dance Collective and others—to connect seniors with the best of Memphis’ arts scene. Creative Aging’s classes and performances give seniors opportunities to dance, draw, paint, play, listen and remain active and engaged; healthy in body, mind and spirit. The last two years have highlighted the dangers of social isolation. Arts engagement offers seniors a bridge to community, 82 | At Home Memphis & Mid South • February 2022
creativity and connection; a common denominator for people from all walks of life. National research shows that arts engagement enhances seniors’ cognitive vitality, health and overall quality of life. Seniors who participate in arts programs report better physical health, use less medication, require fewer doctor visits and retain sharper intellectual skills. Creative Aging’s programs not only offer these benefits to seniors who participate, they also contribute to the local arts economy by providing paid work to talented musicians and teaching artists. Shelby County has a growing senior population, with over 135,000 older residents. Creative Aging continues to expand, engaging more individuals each year. To learn more, visit creativeagingmidsouth.org or call 901.272.3434.
