Guest Post: Ageing Under the Spotlight in the UK

"Because I think that as you do get older, if you don’t have a manageable challenge … you’re not developing yourself anymore, and I think that’s one of the things that the theatre does, not just for the young people but for us.  It’s still developing us, and that’s what’s so great.’" 

- Audio describer and Audience member

By: Michelle Rickett
Research Associate for the 'Ages and Stages' Project

What contribution do - and could - older people make to theatre? How are ageing and later life represented on stage? Can theatre and drama be used to promote understanding, communication and creativity between different generations? These are some of the questions asked by the Ages and Stages project, based in North Staffordshire in the UK, and funded by the New Dynamics of Ageing (NDA) programme.

The project is a partnership between Keele University and the New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme. The location for our research is the Potteries, North Staffordshire: an area with a long history of heavy industry (ceramics, coal and steel) that, over the past fifty years, has undergone considerable social and economic change and decline. Local cultural institutions have both reflected and reconstructed these changes. In particular, the New Vic Theatre (formerly the Victoria Theatre) pioneered a distinctive form of ‘social documentary theatre’ under artistic director Peter Cheeseman. The documentaries, produced between 1964 and 1994, charted social, economic and political change in the Potteries, and drew from the testimony of local people. Part of our research involved exploring historical representations of older people and ageing within these documentaries, using materials in the Victoria Theatre Archive. Then, turning our attention to contemporary representations and recollections, we interviewed 95 older people who are/have been associated with the theatre as: actors/employees; volunteers; long standing audience members; sources for the original documentaries. Finally, we drew our research data together to create a new documentary performance, titled Our Age, Our Stage, which explores ageing, intergenerational relations and the role the theatre has played – and continues to play – in the creative life of the people of North Staffordshire. This was acted by an intergenerational group, including members of the New Vic Youth Theatre and older people who had been interviewed for our research. Our Age, Our Stage was toured around local venues, including schools, a retirement village and local council, and finally performed at the New Vic Theatre to a capacity audience of 500 people in July 2012.

What's your niche?

Left, right, and centre: retirement homes that focus on a particular hobby, interest, or activity, are popping up in the United States, CNBC reports.  They are tailored to specific wants and needs for older adults, so that they can continue to immerse themselves into an every day activity. 

These “Niche retirement communities” not only encourage retirees to stay active, but they give them the ability to do so in a location that caters to their ‘expertise’ or growing interest.  They are able to fulfill their days with what makes them happy, within an environment that will support it.

In Franklin, Tennessee, the Country Music Association is planning a community with recording studios and performance venues, writes Harriet Barovick, in ‘10. Niche Aging,’ an article for Time Magazine. And in Santa Rosa, California there’s Fountaingrove Lodge - America’s first long term care facility for gay and lesbian retirees.

Andrew Carle, director of George Mason University’s senior housing administration program told CNBC that although these communities are in their “infancy stage, they offer lots of upsides.”

For example:  so-called university–based communities are located near a post-secondary campus, where residents can sign-up (for a nominal fee) and attend classes for pleasure.  “The Oak Hammock at the University of Florida in Gainesville has an in-house Institute for Learning in Retirement, developed with the University of Florida,” CNBC reports.

As the growing interest in these housing communities increase, so do the number of hobbyists.  The question remains – how will they manage to cater to everyone’s needs and interests?

Tell us what you think! What type of niche long-term care facility do you dream of?

To read more on the different retirement homes already available, click here.

Have you found your niche?

If you have yet to figure out what your interest/hobby is – have no fear! In honour of Seniors’ Month, SERCCA is hosting  “A Taste of the Arts” on Friday, June 22^nd, where we encourage you to come out and participate in our creative workshops.  For more information and how to register, please click the image below.  We look forward to seeing you!

Life and art are an interwoven canvas

This past Saturday, I spent my afternoon in Caledonia, Ont., speaking to, and admiring, the work of Sjanie (shaw-nee) Bethlehem.  An inspiring woman, the 70-year-old technical illustration artist has been showcasing her artwork for years and exhibited a number of art shows.  She has received awards in painting, scratchboard, pyrography and woodcarving, just a few of the many different styles she has adapted.     

Showcasing the art of the Bethlehem family, the By the Grand – Pa, Ma, Daughter exhibit at the Edinburgh Square Heritage and Cultural Centre was a huge thrill for Sjanie.  On this day, she shared the stage with her husband Bill, 73, and daughter Shawna, 24, in this special family affair for the first time. 

As I walked into the Edinburgh Centre's room, the small and somewhat rustic lodging felt cozy as it housed the works of all three artists.  Sjanie’s eagerness radiated, pointing out who did which art piece and why, how it related to a moment in time, or, in her case, how she would create whatever “was in her head” at that moment.  The glow in her eyes, the excitement in her voice, it made a person want to pull out a canvas and start painting right then and there. 

In January 2008, Sjanie’s family was faced with a tragedy when her 20-year-old granddaughter Shawna was in a car accident, sustaining a number of injuries, including a severe brain trauma. At the time she was only in her second year of the kinesiology program at McMaster University.  

A year later, Sjanie decided she would teach her granddaughter how to paint.  “All of her injuries have to do with motor skills,” she explained.  “We did the first painting, hand-over-hand, and she was quite willing. It was a little tough [at first], but gradually she picked up on it. She’s my granddaughter and it makes it fun.  I would do the same for [any of] my grandkids.”  This teaching strategy has been complicated by Shawna’s inability to speak.

Sjanie’s dedication to the recovery of her granddaughter is heartwarming and passionate.  Her determination to stay active throughout life artistically, while staying engaged with the progress her granddaughter has made with art and her physical ability is important to Sjanie.  She recognizes that it is a large part of what keeps her motivated.  Recently, Sjanie has taught herself how to play guitar, a skill she has not mastered but has given her with a new challenge that is fun to learn.  Art of any kind is an inspiring and motivational form of expression for seniors.  It keeps them engaged and can encourage them to strive to find and improve on an interest they may have not considered doing before. Healthy and happy, both getting and giving family support, Sjanie Bethlehem is prepared to face the challenges that come her way.   

Below: Sjanie Bethlehem and her granddaughter Shawna. 

“The Importance of Being Wilde”: Experiencing the play (and benefits) of the arts in later life

Pamela Brett-MacLean, PhD
Krista Charbonneau, MA

“When I did a public reading many years ago of ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’ by Dylan Thomas, I felt a thrill, a quickening, a fluttering in my heart that was really quite magnificent. It took my breath away.”
These are among the first words that Julian shared with us, during our initial meeting with a group of residents living in a retirement home in Vancouver. Julian had a remarkable sideways lean to his gait, which only added to his theatrical presence, inspired – I imagined – by a lifelong love of theatre and performance. Seven core members made up the theatre group, aged from 75 to over 90 years of age. All were committed to enjoying the pleasures of reading plays. We were working on graduate degrees (interdisciplinary studies - PBM, and theatre studies - KC) and shared an interest in the positive contributions of the arts engagement in later life. Responding to the participants’ stated preference for engaging with theatre, we developed a structured, historical approach to learning about and reading comedies which we called “Laughing Across the Ages.” 

An Interview with Jack Coggins, Mouth Painter

(with Jeff Natchigall, interviewer)

WILL YOU CONTINUE PAINTING?

Well, the Irish are nothing if they’re not obsessive. Once we latch on to something we explore it passionately for as long as it takes until we know the medium... like poetry it’s very elusive… it’s got a rhythm and an excitement to it, that I find very passionate.

I’ve explored music. I’ve explored the physical aspect of my being with tai chi… concentrating on your surroundings and emptying your mind. I also practice Transcendental Meditation which allows me to explore deep relaxation… and now trying to heal my body… to the best of my ability, but also to heal my mind and adapt to new things that will express my creative talent. So my art has become my passion… as much as history, because in many ways, the images I paint are history; History of our totems; History of our Inukshuk; History of the Tori Gate. All these represent symbols that are universal in all of us. Through my art I’ve discovered images that help my healing process that are autobiographical… like the Inukshuks, the stone men against the prairie landscape in winter… that’s me, that I’m frozen in stone because I have so little use of my body. So I’m there observing the coming, the changing of the seasons. The coming of winter… the beginning of spring… blossoming into summer, and then into fall, autumn… we can see the world in a blade of grass.

I have so much energy. I expressed it through my teaching. I expressed it through my music. I expressed it through my cycling… not so much observing the landscape, but experiencing it… I cycled for 55 years until my accident… and then it all ended abruptly.

You’ve tapped a source of energy… I’ve been so frustrated in my own personal life that I was ready to explode with anger and thoughts of self destruction and just to end the misery… and art gave me another life again, and you were a big part of that.

The art has restored my self-esteem, teaching restores my self esteem. I still have a head.

Moving Towards Dance for Older Adults

by Mary Jane Warner, Department of Dance, York University

I began dance classes at a young age and assumed that I would always have the satisfaction of taking a dance class. As I aged the classes became increasingly difficult, especially after two hip replacements in my sixties. Typical of the older adult, my balance and flexibility declined, getting to and from the floor was increasingly difficult, and jumps had to be limited in both height and quantity. No longer able to keep up with much younger classmates, I began looking for dance classes for older but active adults, but there didn’t seem to be much available in my community.

Not able to find appropriate dance classes, I turned to fitness classes. Those geared to the 55 plus age group were not sufficiently challenging but regular low impact classes and a personal trainer were alternative options that enabled me to recover from hip surgery and to keep my body in reasonable condition. But something was always missing in these alternative fitness classes that made them less satisfying than my previous dance classes.

What were the missing ingredients? 

Creative Aging Calgary Society

by Gail Hinchliffe, President, and Dianne McDermid, Director of Education and Programming

The Creative Aging Calgary Society (CACS) was formed in 2009 to increase awareness of the positive physical impact that arts participation can have on older adults. To date, we have held two symposiums targeted at older adults, artists, and professionals who work with older adults. The first symposium introduced the concept of creative aging and provided snapshots of nineteen local arts and seniors initiatives. The second symposium included a workshop on how to develop creative aging programs, followed by concurrent workshops on art, drama, and music. Susan Perlstein, from the National Centre for Creative Aging in Washington DC was keynote speaker and a workshop leader at these events.

CACS is currently planning their third symposium to be held Thursday, April 26, 2012. Keynote speakers at this symposium will include Jeff Nachtigall, practicing artist and artist-in-residence at Sherbrooke Community Centre in Saskatoon Saskatchewan, and David Dworking, a clarinetist and orchestra maestro, who, upon retiring, developed an innovative exercise program called “Conductorcize.” The symposium will include workshops on art forms as well as a showcase of seniors’ creative expression activities. For more information about this event, visit the website http://www.creativeagingcalgary.ca/

Membership in CASC is free and includes access to resources and a regular newsletter.

The Arts and Health Project: Healthy Aging Through the Arts

by Jil Weaving and Margaret Naylor

The Arts and Health Project: Healthy Aging Through the Arts began under the name The Arts Health & Seniors Project in 2006 as a three year pilot. The Vancouver Park Board and Vancouver Coastal Health partnered with five other organizations in Vancouver and North Vancouver to provide professionally led arts programming to vulnerable seniors and to study how on-going involvement in community based creative arts practices could:

• improve the health and well-being of older adults facing economic, social and cultural obstacles that inhibit their optimal health and


• enhance the community perception of these seniors as active and valuable members of their community.

This initiative was inspired by Dr. Gene Cohen’s ground-breaking U.S. study The Creativity and Aging Study: the Impact of Professionally Conducted Cultural Programs on Older Adults.

To demonstrate a link between participation in the arts and wellness of vulnerable older people in British Columbia, data was collected over the three years of the Arts Health & Seniors Project and the research report based on this data will be released this fall. The report will explain a significant number of participants experienced improvement in their perceived (i.e. self-reported) health, a reduction in their experience of chronic pain, and an increased sense of community.

Due to the positive impact and popularity of this project it has continued beyond 2009, through the 2011/2012 season.

In 2010-2011 the project had six project sites in Vancouver and North Vancouver, each with an artist and a seniors worker; many also worked with an artist intern. A translator was also available at one site for Cantonese and Mandarin translations. Throughout each year of programming the professional artists, who are deeply engaged in the process of community arts practice, have worked collaboratively with seniors to develop creative processes that reflect the knowledge and life experiences of senior participants. Every year the artists and seniors have produced and exhibited and/or performed works that both reflect the commitment of the collective groups and provide insights into the rich life experiences of the seniors.

The Project structure has consistently included weekly workshops for seniors with professional artists and seniors workers, two annual Arts Experiences, consisting of visits to exhibitions/performances that can expand the seniors’ understanding and appreciation of their work as it relates to the broader field of art, a Community Exhibition/Performance and a curated Year-End Exhibition/Performance of all participating seniors’ work in June.

The project structure also has included peer learning and professional development opportunities for artists and seniors’ workers through Community of Practice meetings and workshops. In 2010-2011 the “CoP” structure has evolved from 6 meetings for artists and seniors workers to 3 “CoP” meetings, 2 capacity building workshops and 3 artist exchange visits to other project seniors group workshops. This change has come about as a result of the artists and seniors’ workers desire to increase the level of exchange and sharing of knowledge within the project.

The intended long-term outcome of this project is “strong, healthy communities that engage seniors as full and active participants and that value the arts as a key contributor to health.”

RAW VISION: The Power of Art in Healthcare

by Jeff Nachtigall

In November 2006, I began a residency with the Saskatoon Health Region. As Artist-in-Residence, I worked with individuals coping with limited mobility and/or cognitive disorders at the Sherbrooke Community Centre; a long-term care facility in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. I implemented a studio program that provided participants with the opportunity to express themselves visually. The studio was to be a place of experimentation and self-expression. I was not interested in teaching art classes, but in facilitating the creative process through self-exploration and self-discovery.

The studio started small. Within a month, more than a hundred residents were working in a variety of mediums and styles, filling the small space to the point of overflow. Most had never made art before. Reduced and restricted mobility (paraplegia and quadriplegia) and cognitive disorders (Alzheimer’s, dementia, and acquired brain injuries) presented them with new challenges and limitations. With perseverance and dedication (and in some cases, working through physical pain), these limitations grew into strengths. Through art, the participants of the studio program have found a new voice…and this new voice has empowered them.

In September 2007 the Mendel Art Gallery shared this life changing experience with an enthusiastic audience. “The Insiders” exhibition showcased the work of twelve artists from the Sherbrooke Community Centre. The response was overwhelming. The National Film Board of Canada featured the studio and the artists in an inspirational and moving documentary; “A Year at Sherbrooke”. The Mendel Art Gallery toured the exhibition throughout Saskatchewan, engaging rural communities in an ongoing and passionate dialog. With the support of the Saskatchewan Arts Board, Potash Corp., the Mendel Art Gallery and several community partners, “The Insiders” catalogue was published in the fall of 2009.

The studio is more popular than ever and continues to be a vibrant hub of activity and exchange. The breakthroughs have been substantial and the benefits profound. Residents who once contemplated suicide are now mentors and role models. Individuals who were previously inactive have found a new energy, enthusiastically expressing themselves through art. The level of productivity has grown exponentially, as the residents dexterity and confidence have increased. Fine motor skills have improved; those who once shook as they tried to grip a brush are now expressing themselves through fluid motions. The positive impact on the residents and their families is astounding. New projects and exhibitions are underway as we continue to push the boundaries of self expression and challenge the stereotypes of individuals with special needs.

In 2007 I designed the Mobile Painting Device (MPD). The MPD provides quadriplegics and paraplegics the ability to express themselves on a very large scale. This fluid form of mark making has helped inspire and invigorate a growing and often overlooked segment of the population.

The “Open Studio Model” I have developed for healthcare is based on a philosophy: I believe that we are all born artists, and that art is our first language. This visual language transcends borders and has the ability to bring people with diverse backgrounds together. This model focuses on the “art” and not the “therapy”, and raises the bar of the ubiquitous “craft room”. Art is a vehicle for change, for healing and for hope. Although initially developed for long term care, this model has since been adapted for acute care, mental health and addictions, at risk youth, transitional environments, primary and secondary schools, universities and colleges, and the private and public sector.

United Active Living Inc.

by Gail Hinchliffe and Dianne McDermid

United Active Living (UAL) is an Alberta based corporation that develops innovative housing for older adults. Currently UAL has two sites: River Ridge Seniors Community in St. Albert, and Garrison Green Seniors Community in Calgary. The housing sites are designed, constructed and operated based on research findings that focuses on providing opportunities for fulfillment, independence and wellness. Both sites are assisted living residences in which the majority of programming emphasizes creative expression and lifelong learning. At Garrison Green, for example, there are two full-time artists-in-residence as well as well as a part time artist. There are two dedicated art studios where there are art classes offered, open studio time and supported art projects. Residents’ art is displayed throughout the lower floor.

Besides these art programs, there is a drama club, choir, kitchen band, ballroom dance lessons, yoga and drum circles. Continuing learning is encouraged through such activities as a lecture series done by faculty from Mount Royal University, educational webinars, and a resident-led men’s education and discussion group. Outings to art galleries, museums, philharmonic performances and plays are common. This level of programming can only be provided through partnerships with family and the greater community.

For more information, go to: http://www.unitedactiveliving.com/

Arts Participation & Healthy Aging: Knowledge Exchange

On June 27th and 28th, 25 researchers, artists, and providers of services to older adults gathered from across Canada at SERC to discuss the state of research on the benefits of participation in the arts for older adults. After two days of very stimulating discussion, the participants from SERC - and hopefully all attendees - came away with renewed vigor for pursuing research into the health benefits of participation in the arts for older adults.

SERC would like to thank the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for their generous support for this meeting.

Belly Dancing Workshop

Thirteen women joined SERCCA for the introductory belly dancing workshop on Saturday, April 16th. Six of the participants made the trip from Riverside Glen, a Schlegel Villages location in Guelph, Ontario.

Workshop leader Danielle Lottridge has been dancing ever since she learned to walk; she enrolled in ballet at age 3, and studied jazz, tap and piano throughout her childhood and adolescence. Danielle continued taking different styles of dance until she found belly dance and fell deeply in love. Danielle has been performing professionally since 2005, in high quality venues such as the Enwave Harbourfront Theatre in Toronto and the Crucible in San Francisco. She has taught regular classes for over three years, including workshops at McMaster University. Danielle holds a doctorate in human factors, and brings expertise in ergonomics and applied psychology to create a safe and enjoyable environment in her classes.

Dancing Home to Me

My experience in the SERCCA dance project
by Jacqui Penson

It is the tiniest of ads, tucked away in the “Community Notices” section of the paper, but it springs at me like a banner headline: “Free Dance Classes for adults 55+.” Despite earnest worries about what is in store (what if the classes require spandex?) I summon the courage and call. A pleasant voice answers the phone. Within minutes I hear myself making arrangements to participate in what I learn is a dance research project with older adults through Sheridan College’s Elder Research Centre (SERC). And it’s pretty much come as you are – works for me!

The first day, I locate the studio and tentatively open the door. I am really quite anxious. Seeing the mirrors, the barre, the piano, I am transported back in time. As a child, I had fallen in love with ballet – the music and movement carried me away. Somehow when I danced, I felt safe, I felt special – I felt like ‘Me.’ Later, as a young woman, exhausted after a day’s work, I would don black leotard, red skirt, and leg warmers to stretch body and soul on a dance floor.

Brought back to the studio, I see individuals of every age and stage (55 plus, that is!), size and shape, clustered here and there chatting. I make a mental note – no spandex in sight – I like it already!

We learn that, because this is a research project, we must go through a series of simple pre-test measurements of things like flexibility, balance, muscle strength and complete some questionnaires and an interview. I am so pleased to be part of something bigger and at this point, if I can coax this aging body into a studio twice a week to dance AND contribute to science – well, even better!

The first day of class arrives and as we wait in the studio, there are nervous whispers, faint anxiety, quiet laughter and tense anticipation.

Our teacher reminds us that this time is an investment in our well-being, in caring for ourselves and honouring who we are and the road we (and our bodies!) have travelled. Above all, it is about having FUN! We need to lose that inner self-critical voice (someone quips maybe they could cover up the mirrors!) relax and enjoy the moment.

We take our places at the ‘barre’ and the class begins. The teacher demonstrates and explains the how and especially the ‘why’ of each exercise and most importantly, how to work around our various physical challenges. Clearly the name of the game here is not being ‘perfect’ but rather how to work with our bodies and still reap the benefit of this graceful form of movement. She watches carefully, keenly focused on ensuring that no one gets hurt, offering a modification here, a suggestion there and tons of gentle encouragement. I think to myself – this woman really ‘gets it’!

We work our way through pliés, relevés, tendus and grande battements and then move to the centre of the room for ‘floorwork’ (now without the security of the ‘barre’!). Once we’re oriented we move across the floor, this time to the soaring strains of a Viennese waltz. We are dancing and it is joyous, freeing and just plain fun!

There’s a sense of “we’re all in this together” – no room for ‘prima ballerinas’ here – we’ve travelled varied paths to arrive at this point in time – and the room is rich with the collective strengths, passions and humour of those who have survived to tell the tale!

At first, I feel clumsy and unsure and my brain is working overtime to remember everything – but it is okay. As the class progresses, my anxiety slowly ebbs and I feel the music lift and transport me. Something deep, long-buried and forgotten is stirring, but all too soon it is over and we clap in appreciation. I grab my keys and fly out the door.

The Thursday class is more of a jazz/modern dance. Compared to ballet, this presents a challenge to move outside my ‘comfort zone’, to become aware of and fully inhabit my body in a grounded way. After warm-up exercises, we learn a little ‘combo’ to Liza Minelli’s “Bye, Bye, Birdie.” I don’t remember ever having laughed so much in a dance class! As we ‘step-ball-change’ and ‘sugar’ our way across the floor I can feel inhibitions gradually falling away as our teacher exhorts us to “put it out there!”

The weeks fly by and I feel my body and brain respond. I feel stronger, balance is improving and joints that just a few short weeks ago felt like they required a shot of “WD-40,” begin to loosen up.

Even more significant though, is the feeling of well-being by the end of class. None of us can explain it. We know about ‘endorphins’ and the benefits of exercise but this is something more than that, something almost mystical. For 60 minutes twice a week the world fades away. Whatever cares have silently accompanied us into the studio seem to dissipate as the music, the movement – and yes, the laughter – capture us and carry us away.

I realize that for me, being in these dance classes has become an exercise in déjà vu – a reconnecting with and reclaiming of an essential part of who I was – who I am – lost through time and circumstance. I am dancing home to ‘Me.’

And I am – still – in love with dance.

The Centre for Active Aging Art Group

Who are we?
We are seniors (60 to 92 years of age) who deeply value the experience of sharing and supporting creative pursuits. The majority of the members work at the intermediate or advanced level in at least one medium. In addition to participating in our classes, many members take workshops and courses offered by other institutions and engage in individual or small group study using books/videos from libraries or private collections, watching televised art instruction shows, and using Internet lessons and videos to further develop their skills and knowledge.

All art group members are also members of the Centre for Active Aging ($27.27 for Mississauga residents and $32.92 for qualifying non-residents). In addition, we charge an annual $5 club membership fee, and $35 to $55 for each session depending on its length. The centre’s activity fee ($1.00 per person) is included in our course fee or collected individually for the Saturday studio work. In addition, we buy our own supplies and occasionally make use of a various supplies we have collected over the years. Sessions are 4 to 6 weeks with instruction, demonstration, exercises, and individual guidance.

In 1974, the Centre for Active Aging (then known as the Mississauga Senior Citizen’s Centre) located in Ontario, Canada, opened and 14 enthusiastic artists began sharing their interests and talents under the direction of Shirley Erskine. In 1989, a second section was added and the group took over responsibility for hiring and paying the instructors. Talented local artists teach both traditional and innovative techniques in various styles including abstraction, using pencil, ink, pastel, water colour and acrylic.

Working from our own resource material, we paint all subject matter from still life to the human figure. We are regularly surprised by, and admiring of, the finished works that reflect each member’s unique style and personality.

We maintain an active waitlist whose members join us whenever regular members are absent. We are fortunate to have some members from the original group still active and willing to share their extensive knowledge and experience.

What are the benefits?
The mix of creativity, learning and friendship enriches our lives, keeping us engaged and active. Many of us regularly stay after class for a light lunch in the centre’s cafeteria. There we share life’s joys and frustrations, tell stories from our past, discuss issues of interest, and pass around photos of our trips, pets and family. We often go on outings to art shows, movies, local events, and participate in many of the centre’s other activities such as the spring picnic, the Christmas lunch, and Valentine’s lunch.

Is our work on show and available for sale?
We offer a continuously changing display of 30-40 pieces in the centre’s main hall which visitors may view at their leisure. Since 1979 we have held an annual Art Show and Sale offering 350+ original works in a variety of media. Artists choose which of their pieces to exhibit. We offer unframed, matted, and framed works and a large collection of original art cards. Click here for information about our next show.

Keep on dancing: Dancing in later life

Here are two wonderful examples of both professionals and amateur dancers continuing - successfully - into later life. Click here for a Globe and Mail story about the number of older dancers performing in current productions in Toronto, and click here for a story from last year's Toronto Star about a group of older men from Peterborough who have formed a dance company.

Why Wouldn't We... Participate

Bridging the Gap: Intergenerational Memories and Music Program

Who wouldn’t want to be the elderly person in this picture, being escorted into their seat by a young person, to watch and receive an original song about your life? Then again, what young person wouldn’t want the chance to learn new skills, build a wonderful relationship, have fun and be a part of something bigger than him or herself?

The Bridging the Gap, Memories and Music Program gave the Georgetown District High School Vocal Music students such an opportunity and much more. In early September, the music class was asked if they wanted to participate in a memories and music project. ALL hands went up.

In this project, the students would interview local seniors, write, compose and record the songs and, finally, perform them in front of the seniors and their families. This was a vocal class with only a third of the students having any musical experience.

When asked about their decision to participate, the students' response was, "What wouldn't we want to do this project? A change to get new creative real...why wouldn't we?"

- Nora Zylstra-Savage, Storylines

www.story-lines.ca

To view a video collage of students performances, click here.

The power of music: The world's oldest Holocaust survivor

A testament to the power of music in preserving health: watch this segment from the upcoming documentary "Dancing Under the Gallows", by Oscar Winning director Malcolm Clarke. The movie features Alice, the oldest Holocaust survivor at age 106, who is a classical pianist. Her, and others', description of the role that music played for them during the Holocaust is amazing - it's a long clip, but definitely worth the time.

Event at SERC: Embrace the Moment: Why Creativity Matters to Our Health

Please join us for an engaging presentation by Susan Perlstein, founder of Elders Share the Arts (ESTA) in New York City and founder of the National Center for Creative Aging in the U.S. Susan will discuss the significance of "creative aging" in relation to everyday life. She will also present findings from a study she collaborated on with Dr. Gene Cohen that has provided evidence of positive health benefits associated with involvement in arts and cultural programs. Ms. Perlstein will discuss three developmental themes characterizing the field of arts and aging: arts and lifelong learning, arts and community engagement, and use of the arts in social service and health care settings. Susan will conclude with recommendations for moving the field of arts and aging forward in the coming decades.

Date: Thursday, October 28th, 2010
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Location: Sheridan Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, 1430 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, ON
Room number: J102 (Sheldon Levy Centre)

Refreshments will follow the presentation. This event is complimentary but seating is limited.

Please RSVP no later than Thursday, October 21st to Pat Spadafora
Tel: 905-845-9430, ext. 8615, or pat.spadafora@sheridanc.on.ca

Storytelling and Poetry in Later Life

Ellen Ryan, Professor Emeritus at McMaster University in Gerontology, has created two fantastic websites for those interested in storytelling and poetry for older adults:

WritingDownOurYears.ca features:

• A book series (10 books in Writing Down Our Years)
• A blog (Aging with Spirit - a link will be on this blog)
• Available workshops
• Ellen's academic and professional articles for downloading
• Resources on writing, life stories, and creativity in later life; aging with spirit; and communication and aging

CelebratingPoetsOver70.ca is a site that presents poems selected from 1100 submissions written by poets after the age of 70 years. The contents of the 2010 anthology Celebrating Poets over 70, edited by Marianne F. Vespry and Ellen, can be browsed and the volume ordered.