Tom Evans I Contributing Editor NEXT DOORS { ahead of the curve } CREATING ART IMPROVING LIVES Creative aging programs help older adults engage and connect AUG/ SEPT 2021 | 62 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA

Y outh is wasted on the young. It’s a quip with a variety of origin stories. Some have attributed it to George Bernard Shaw, some to Oscar Wilde. The gist of the saying, of course, is the notion that the best and most productive years of one’s life are wasted on those who aren’t experienced enough to appreciate and maximize them. There’s a dark truth in the flipside to that saying. It implies that you’re not capable of enjoying the things you did in your youth once you’re older. It’s a bit of ageism, pure and simple. When you’re younger, there’s theoretically nothing you can’t do. When you’re older, there’s plenty you can’t do. And when you’re elderly, being told what you can or cannot do can seem unfair. But the fact of the matter is this — the more opportunities we provide for older adults to exercise their minds and bodies, the healthier they are. And in Arizona, there’s a concerted and organized effort to make this happen through the performing and visual arts. It’s called “creative aging,” and it’s a nationwide effort to advance the relationship between creative expression and healthy aging, regardless of where an individual is on the aging spectrum — fully healthy or near the end of life. There’s tons of research on how older adults are happier and healthier when they are engaged in programs that boost their brainpower, physical activity and creativity. Aren’t we all? But later in life, it’s essential. It can lead to longer lives, fewer doctor’s visits, improved cognitive function and much more. I could turn this into a dissertation on the subject, but I won’t. I’d rather tell you about my conversations with three professionals who are making creative aging happen in real life. It’s important first to mention that Arizona has one of the most sophisticated approaches toward creative aging in the country, thanks in no small part to a collaboration between the Arizona Commission on the Arts and Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. They started an organized initiative in 2015 to provide and fund programs to advance creative aging in the state. Decades of research have found that older adults are healthier and happier when they participate in creative aging programs. “ Creative aging is a way of engaging older adults across the spectrum from wellness to end of life in meaningful experiences.”