New Report: New Initiative Catalyzes State-Level Partnerships to Advance Creative Aging in Western States
From Lifetime Arts:
Cross-sector, state-level partnerships are key to sustaining and ensuring access to creative aging programming, especially for older adults in rural communities. Research shows that these arts education programs contribute significantly to healthy aging and increased social connection. The Advancing Creative Aging in Westerns States Initiative, launched in 2023, is designed to deepen and sustain collaboration among state agency partners to advance creative aging in the Western region. Currently the Initiative includes partnership teams in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, and Utah. These teams include leaders from state arts agencies, state libraries, and state veterans services, and will expand to include aging services and health and human services.
“We are accelerating a collective shift that places arts learning and creative engagement at the core of western states’ older adult programming and ensures that all older adults, especially those with the least access, benefit,” says Lifetime Arts Executive Director Heather Ikemire.
Lifetime Arts will provide consulting services and information resources for multiple stakeholders across these state agencies. These resources are designed to support new and existing partnerships across state agencies and their constituent organizations. Lifetime Arts also is supporting the development and implementation of up to five creative aging programs in sector-specific host organizations in each state. These programs will serve a total of 500 older adults and help to demonstrate the benefits and efficacy of creative aging.
In May/June 2024, partnership teams in each state will host state convenings for new and existing partners to develop actionable strategies to embed arts education in older adult services. Partners also will discuss the formation of a Western States Creative Aging Leadership Council to align key agencies within and across states towards collective action to advance shared creative aging goals.