In this issue of The Creative Aging Resource Journal, you’ll find stories from across the West, each one offering a unique perspective on creative aging. We begin with an interview with Emily Christensen, a creative aging coordinator and music therapist in Utah. Emily shares her journey into creative aging and how her music therapy background informs her approach. She discusses the distinctions between creative aging and art therapy and offers insights from her work with individuals experiencing dementia.
Browse “Senior Centers”
Creative Aging: Drawing on the Arts to Enhance Healthy Aging
From the abstract:
The term “creative aging,” in the broadest sense, describes an aging policy idea that focuses on highlighting the creativity of older adults in order to prepare individuals and communities to manage old age. Programs focus on the evolution of creativity over the lifespan and aim to provide meaningful participatory engagement, especially through the arts.
Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation in Aging
From the abstract:
Social entrepreneurship is usually understood as an economic activity which focuses at social values, goals, and investments that generates surpluses for social entrepreneurs as individuals, groups, and startups who are working for the benefit of communities, instead of strictly focusing mainly at the financial profit, economic values, and the benefit generated for shareholders or owners. Social entrepreneurship combines the production of goods, services, and knowledge in order to achieve both social and economic goals and allow for solidarity building.
From a broader perspective, entities that are focused on social entrepreneurship are identified as parts of the social and solidarity economy. These are, for example, social enterprises, cooperatives, mutual organizations, self-help groups, charities, unions, fair trade companies, community enterprises, and time banks. Social innovation is a key element of social entrepreneurship.
Social innovation is usually understood as new strategies, concepts, products, services, and organizational forms that allow for the satisfaction of needs. Such innovations are created in particular in the contact areas of various sectors of the social system. For example, these are spaces between the public sector, the private sector, and civil society. These innovations not only allow the solving of problems but also extend possibilities for public action.
Perspectives and Theories of Social Innovation for Ageing Population
From the abstract:
In recent years we may observe increasing interest in the development of social innovation both regarding theory as well as the practice of responding to social problems and challenges. One of the crucial challenges at the beginning of the 21st century is population ageing. Various new and innovative initiatives, programs, schemes, and projects to respond to negative consequences of this demographic process are emerging around the world.
In this Research Topic, we welcome papers critically evaluating the existing social perspectives and theories in the field of ageing, introducing innovative approaches and comparative studies. We welcome researchers from areas such as sociology, pedagogy, public policy, economics, management, and public health. The contributions can be based on theoretical studies as well as the implementation of social innovation and programs addressed at ageing and older people. Reviews and papers on philosophical and ethical issues are also welcome.
Generations, Intergenerational Relationships, Generational Policy: A Multilingual Compendium – Edition 2017
From the abstract:
The members of the International Network for the Analysis of Intergenerational Relations (Generationes) proudly present the most recent issue of the jointly produced compendium “Generations, Intergenerational Relations and Generational Policy.” The compendium presents and discusses the key concepts of intergenerational research in a systematic way. Its approach is characterized by the assumption that the forms of intergenerational relationships in families and kinship, institutions and communities is playing a fundamental role in the construction of individual and collective identities, and therefore in the development of societies. A cross-cultural, comparative approach accounting for linguistic diversity provides a promising avenue for theoretical, empirical and practical work in this currently crucially field for the social sciences, humanities and social policy.
This new version includes 17 languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Hungarian, Turkish, Romanian, Lithuanian, Slovenian (new), Bosnian (new), Ukrainian (new), Russian (new) and Chinese (new).
Complete List of Contributors:
Developing the Art–Technology Intergenerational Community Program for Older Adults’ Health and Social Connectedness
This report on ACIT (an intergenerational art-technology program) discusses the development, implementation and evaluation of a university based initiative designed to use art to promote individual older adults’ health, well-being, and social connectedness. College students worked with participants to create interactive art that integrated paper-based electronic circuits into various art forms such as ornaments and light-up greeting cards. The project was specifically designed to address older adult needs. It was somewhat unusual in the focus on development of both art and technology skills, with support from young people, as an approach to improving the health and quality of life for older adults. The relatively small number of subjects (18) allowed for in-depth quantitative and qualitative evaluation.
A Community Choir Intervention to Promote Well-Being Among Diverse Older Adults: Results From the Community of Voices Trial
This article reports on a randomized control study of the effects of a Community of Voices choir intervention on the “health, well-being and health care costs of racial/ethnically diverse” adults 60 years and older. Sixty-five (65%) of study participants were non-white. Researchers examined an array of outcomes including “physical, cognitive and psychosocial aspects of health.” Findings suggest intervention group members experienced significant reductions in loneliness and increased interest in life.