What might you expect to hear as a prevailing objection for why it isn’t easy to invest in and imbed an arts related program for older adults within the context of an institutional social and health care service, such as a retirement residence, assisted living or long-term care environment? No budget. No time. No internal resource pool of talent. So how do you make a business case for this, when a human case is clear?
With all the research on the arts and aging, conducted by professionals such as Dr. Kate Dupuis, Schlegel Innovation Leader in Arts and Aging at Sheridan College (as referenced in my last post) – no one would deny a strong connection has been made that participation in creative arts “influences health and well-being in our later years.”
Sustainable change in a creative culture.
Leading up to her opening in 2016, Cailey Massey, artist, founder and owner of Artfull Aging did all the right things to make her case. Here is what she said in answer to my question to her, how did your original idea in year one, evolve to the well-rounded value proposition as told on your current website narrative?
“After spending a lot of time instructing art programs and building relationships with older adult companies, staff and residents, I began identifying the barriers to high-quality, consistent art programs and brainstorming ways to overcome them. I spoke with both residents and staff about what they would like to see in arts programs and potential solutions that would lead to sustainable change in their creative culture.”
“The largest barrier, as in most cases, was the financial aspect and a lack of budget to support a consistent art program. Our programs are all available online through an annual subscription. Each step-by-step program can be printed and led by in-house staff, this offsets the cost of hiring an outside artist to teach the lessons.
The in-house staff have invaluable, established relationships with residents, which allows them to provide person-centred support during an art program. This is what makes our programs successful and sustainable, the utilization and empowerment of in-house staff. We equip staff with the tools and confidence to run Artfull Aging programs through online training videos. Our programs are on average 8 times less than a professional artist-led program.”
Everyone ages differently, so arts programs need to be adjustable
With “Art is Transcendent of Age” as her motto, what is inspiring to note about Cailey Massey is that she sees with more than an artist’s eye – she sees the older adult at their individual moments in the aging process. Cailey goes on to say:
“Through a lot of research, field studies, testimonials and speaking with industry leaders, I adapted Artfull Aging programs…after running hundreds of art programs in older adult communities, it became very clear to me that everyone ages differently, so the programs needed to be adjustable for a variety of interests and abilities. Our programs accommodate a wide range of experience levels and can be modified to overcome age-related barriers such as cognitive impairments.”
“In summary, our programs are designed to be implemented into older adult communities in a way that is sustainable and reaches a large population by showcasing the potential of art experiences and changing the culture of the community.”
There lies only one of the challenges in changing the overall culture of operational models in institutionalized communities, so in closing I asked Cailey: when you say Artfull Aging is a “Canadian-born company with a global vision” – What does that mean to you and what’s your next big goal for 2020?
“I started the company in Canada and we have worked with homes across the country in both French and English provinces. Now we are expanding into the USA, the UK and Australia because the barriers that we’ve identified to arts programming are not limited to Canada. Our mission is to improve access to arts programs for older adults and those efforts can and should be made globally. As for 2020, we are continuing to expand the variety of programs we offer and create more support systems for staff, including pre-packaged materials.”
What a remarkable artfully transcendent act when you think about it. By providing knowledge and tools that empower in-house staff to deliver an Artfull Aging program, Cailey has gifted them to find the artist within, while at the same time hopefully, perhaps reflexively, enhancing the provision of other care services and improving social connection. Art creates so many wonderful byproducts.
For another opportunity to see and hear Cailey Massey discuss her Artfull Aging experience, check out this YouTube interview on the website The Upside to Aging.