Innovative Crossroads: The Intersection of Creativity, Health, and Aging

Monday, October 7, 11:10am – 12:40pm

Organized by Gay Hanna, Executive Director, National Center for Creative Aging, and Colin Pekruhn, Program Associate, Grantmakers in Health.

Moderated by Margery Pabst, President, The Pabst Charitable Foundation for the Arts. Presented by Anne Basting, Professor of Theatre, UWM Peck School of the Arts, and David Leventhal, Program Director, Dance for PD, Mark Morris Dance Group.

The arts have been shown to have a unique impact upon physical and mental wellbeing for older adults confronting health challenges. This session will present case studies from two best-practice interventions that serve people living with Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. TimeSlips Creative Storytelling (focusing on Alzheimer’s disease) and Mark Morris Dance Group’s Dance for PD (focusing on Parkinson’s disease) are both evidence-based arts programs demonstrated to slow the progress of physical and cognitive decline and improve quality of life and care. Presenters will discuss the power of theater and dance to create community, build a sense of personal empowerment, and encourage creative expression as vital to health and aging.

This session is part of the Grantmakers Partnership Project conducted in collaboration with the National Center for Creative Aging, Grantmakers in the Arts, Grantmakers in Aging, and Grantmakers in Health. It will include recommendations for sustainable replication of best practices in communities nationally.