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 Above Ground: Information on Artists III: Special Focus on New York City Aging Artists
A study of 213 visual artists aged 62-97 was published in December, 2007. The study, conducted by Joan Jeffri and Douglas Heckathorn, found that most of the artists “demonstrated personal growth, creativity, self-efficacy, autonomy, independence, effective coping strategies…and also maintained extensive social networks.” To read the full article in Inside and to download a copy of the study go to www.tc.columbia.edu/rcac.
 Creativity Matters: The Arts and Aging Toolkit
This first of its kind resource is now available! Published jointly by the National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA), the National Guild of Community Schools for the Arts and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), this guide will prove invaluable to arts, healthcare and aging services organizations. The Toolkit is made possible by the generous support from the MetLife Foundation, NAMM: The International Music Products Association, the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, and Roche. Find out more about how to order a copy or, view the digital version of this guide online. Read the fact sheet on the publication.
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Studies Suggest There's An Art to Getting Older
Creative Activity May Have Health Benefits
By Beth Baker
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, March 11, 2008; Page HE01
In the Greenbelt Community Center, 25 elders sit in a circle, watching professional storyteller Candace Wolf. She moves around the circle, smiling, giving someone's shoulder a gentle squeeze, making eye contact. The artist, on the faculty of the nonprofit Bethesda-based Arts for the Aging (AFTA), enlists the group's help in creating a story, based on a silly photo she has passed around of a stocky older couple arm-wrestling...Before long, a narrative has been spun, with threads offered by participants -- most of them people with dementia or other cognitive problems -- and woven by Wolf. She has adapted her storytelling workshops to this audience because studies suggest that making art, or even listening to music or viewing paintings, supports physical, mental and emotional well-being and eases some symptoms of illness, including dementia. The idea is gaining traction.
Read the full article recently featured in The Washington Post that highlights the NCCA, our new Toolkit, and our work to promote creativity among older adults.
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Vintage Voices: The New Senior Moment
by Gene Cohen, MD, PhD
in Aging Well Magazine
In the Winter 2008 issue of Aging Well, Gene Cohen illuminates the common mis-informed concept of a "senior moment" -- what in most of the 20th century explained away momentary lapses in memory. But, we now know that we have the capacity to continue new brain cells right until the end of life. Instead, aging might bring with it a new psychological development in older age, where we can feel liberated and more creative. It's as if an inner voice begins to say "If not now, when? Why not?," Cohen explains. Read the full article to learn more.
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Keeping Your Brain Fit
US News and World Report
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Congress Approves Major Funding Increase for Older Americans Act
NCOA's Aging News
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) has been advocating, through its Support Our Seniors campaign for Congress to make substantial increases in funding for all Older Americans Act (OAA) programs. Many concerned individuals across the country contacted their members of Congress about this important matter. Congress heeded the call and voted for increases of $111 million for OAA programs in Fiscal Year 2008. Read more and find out why the President is expected to veto the bill.
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Study: Aging Artists Remain Resilient
Associated Press
Aging artists in New York City stay engaged and productive well past retirement age and would choose their profession again if they were starting over, according to a new study. "Above Ground: Information on Artists III: Special Focus New York City Aging Artists" found that contrary to the stereotype that people become more isolated as they age, aging artists remain passionate and display high self-esteem and life satisfaction.
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The National Center for Creative Aging
(NCCA) is dedicated to fostering an understanding of the vital
relationship between creative expression and the quality of
life of older people. Creative expression is important for
older people of all cultures and ethnic backgrounds,
regardless of economic status, age, or level of physical,
emotional, or cognitive functioning. 