Subject Term: Program Models

Arts Organizations and Public Health: Developing Relationships and Programs to Address Local Health Priorities

Partners for Livable Communities (Partners) releases, “Arts Organizations and Public Health,” a guide to creating partnerships between art and health organizations. This primer was designed for the arts organization that wishes to initiate programming focused on local health issues, or create partnerships with health groups in order to best meet the needs of the community. Arts Organizations and Public Health identifies best practices of diverse arts organizations from around the United States to inform this work. The best practices can be used as references, and are cited throughout the publication to correlate with text.

Art Therapy: Enhancing the Lives of Older Adults

From the toolkit:

Art can be a powerful activity for older adults. For many seniors art is a lifelong passion, for others, art is a hobby that they never had the time to pursue. No matter the situation, having an art program in your community can contribute substantially to the overall quality of life of your residents.

Learning, Arts, and the Brain: The Dana Consortium Report on Arts and Cognition

From the Introduction:

In 2004, the Dana Arts and Cognition Consortium brought together cognitive neuroscientists from seven universities across the United States to grapple with the question of why arts training has been associated with higher academic performance. Is it simply that smart people are drawn to “do” art—to study and perform music, dance, drama—or does early arts training cause changes in the brain that enhance other important aspects of cognition?

Forget Memory: Creating Better Lives for People with Dementia

From the Forget Memory website:

Memory loss can be one of the most terrifying aspects of a diagnosis of dementia. Yet the fear and dread of losing our memory make the experience of the disease worse than it needs to be, according to cultural critic and playwright Anne Davis Basting. She says, Forget memory. Basting emphasizes the importance of activities that focus on the present to improve the lives of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

AARP’s BACK TO WORK 50+ Program

From the AARP Site:

50+ jobseekers need help gaining skills, finding jobs and building financial security. One promising approach is to encourage existing community intermediaries — like community colleges and workforce investment boards — to put new emphasis on helping 50+ workers find new and better jobs. The AARP Foundation’s BACK TO WORK 50+ program is supporting over 20 sites across the country as they build programs and services targeting 50+ workers. BACK TO WORK 50+ connects 50+ workers with information, training, support, work experience, and employer access they need to get back into the workforce and sustain their income through employment. Early results suggest that this approach may bear fruit, as thousands of 50+ job seekers have called the AARP Foundation’s national toll-free hotline just in 2014.

The Prophet of the Coming Aging Boom

From the Forbes Article:

For three decades Ken Dychtwald has been proclaiming that a demographic tidal wave is approaching America. He calls it the Age Wave, which is also the name of his Emeryville, Calif. consultancy and a book he co-wrote back in 1989. Learn to ride it, he tells businesses, or you will be crushed and drowned. Now that the wave is beginning to hit full force, more and more businesses are listening.

Transforming Community: The Art of Active Aging

From the YouTube Video Description:

In this lively talk, Tim discusses the cutting edge developments in programming toward senior health, creativity and civic engagement. He presents case studies of seniors who have engaged in new lifestyles in later life and experienced profound advances in health, longevity and life satisfaction. Anecdotal stories are tied to research that shows that aging can be a window to opportunity, a second act, a natural progression through the phases in adult development – and a key to a happier, fuller later life.