Creative Aging in the Healthy Aging Ecosystem: Advancing Brain Health, Social Connectedness, and Livable Communities

Creative engagement through the arts is fundamental to the human experience and deeply linked to enhanced health and well-being. Specifically older adults serve as unique and essential cultural contributors across all art forms, enriching their communities and gaining first-hand benefit from active arts participation. Building on a wealth of health promotion research, creative aging is the practice of intentional artistic and creative engagement throughout our lives—advancing vital ways to help restore and maximize health and functional ability regardless of one’s age, health status, or perceived capabilities. While creative aging is a growing field in the community and health care landscape, commonly held barrier mindsets often distort the value of both the arts and older adults—limiting awareness and subsequent investment.

The much-anticipated growth and variation of America’s older adult population is being coupled with a wide-ranging policy and care delivery response at federal, state, and local levels. As public and private sector leaders redesign services for today’s and tomorrow’s older adults, three trending issues shape the healthy aging agenda: brain health, social connectedness, and livable communities. Across these three issues and where they converge, creative aging contributes distinctive and valuable strategies that support holistic healthy aging for individuals, communities, and society.

This policy brief makes the case to incorporate creative aging more intentionally into the healthy aging ecosystem through three recommendations and will include an upcoming Action Plan Framework.