Ithaca, NY—When do you retire your creativity? “That’s individual,” according to Professor and Director of Ithaca College’s Gerontology Institute John Krout, who points to Martha Graham dancing until 75 and choreographing until age 96, as well as “Dr. Seuss” publishing in his 80s.

 

“Today, gerontologists recognize that engagement and involvement in creative activities contributes to well-being well across the life span,” said Krout, who along with the college’s departments of music, art and theater have developed a number of programs to support creative engagement in the elderly; the project started with a full day conference on “Aging and Creativity” in 2001.

 

Continuing in that vein, this fall Ithaca College will launch the following new programs and partnerships funded by The New York State Music Fund, established by the New York Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.  

 

Enduring Masters, a free concert series featuring older musicians performing and reflecting on aging and their art, includes jazz pianist Billy Taylor (86), composer/conductor Karel Husa (86), and composer Joan Tower (69).

 

Voices for Creative Aging sponsors concerts featuring older community musicians and under represented music as well as organizing outreach between Ithaca College student ensembles and senior communities.

Ithaca College partners with Lifelong (formerly Tompkins County Senior Citizens Council) to sponsor student ensembles to perform at Lifelong community centers throughout Central New York, as well as special performances at Longview, a residential community for older adults in Ithaca.

 

While the Enduring Masters performers represent examples of extraordinary artists, studies show that many people of lesser talents continue to practice and take much gratification from their creative endeavors into old age.

 

Preliminary findings of a study entitled “The Impact of Professionally Conducted Cultural Programs on Older Adults,” conducted by Gene Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., director, Center on Aging Health and Humanities, George WashingtonUniversity, found, among other things, that staying engaged in creative activities significantly improves overall health, and improves scores on the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Loneliness Scale.

 

In their book “Successful Aging,” Kahn and Rowe cite involvement in social and recreational activities, including creative ones, as one of three key factors in “successful aging.”

 

The U.S. Census Bureau foretells an enormous growth in the elder population in the early part of the 21st century with most of the growth occurring between 2010 and 2030 as boomers enter their elderly years.

 

“Baby Boomers are the leading edge of a potential revolution in old age. They will change how our institutions relate to older adults and how we define old age for our family and ourselves. They [boomers] are astute politically and will demand solutions to their problems and the issues they care about, particularly about their quality of life; they will not retire to the front porch,” said Krout. “Boomers present new and exciting opportunities for greater creativity in all walks of life.”

 

For more information, visit http://www.ithaca.edu/aging/ or http://www.ithaca.edu/aging/assets/pdf/news_winter07.pdf or www.ithaca.edu/enduringmasters.