“The study enrolled people in a variety of community arts programs, including chorales, jewelry making, and Chinese brush painting. We have 150 people age 65 and older, all of whom were living independently when they started. They meet weekly, take part in exhibitions, concerts, and so on,” says Cohen.
The art groups are led by professionals; some of the “students” picked the course based on the teacher. Those teachers demand a high level of quality from their group.
“It’s very intense,” says Cohen. By contrast, the control group of another 150 people is similarly busy, but not as involved in activities that provide opportunities for significant individual mastery and substantial social engagement.
The chorale group showed positive improvements. “A large number of the study participants showed better health across the board, including fewer doctor visits and less medication use,” says Cohen. That’s particularly impressive when one considers “their average age was 80, with some participants up to age 100.”
Enforced ‘age-ism’
“It’s not being old that leads to depression and illness. It’s creating what we call ‘learned helplessness,’” says Ronch; that is, taking away options simply because of age. He says we teach older citizens that if they enjoy discovery and having fun, they’re considered irresponsible. Senility, he points out, is often described as “childlike” behavior. Is it any wonder older citizens often wither away?
Unfortunately too many places geared toward older Americans create an artificial “senior” environment, based on what they think older people should be doing. Both Ronch and Cohen dismiss the image of bingo as the quintessential “senior activity.” One of the biggest mistakes society makes regarding its elders, Ronch feels, is “We deprive them of the future, putting them into environments where tomorrow is the same as today.” When that happens, he asks, “What’s the point of getting up in the morning?”
Creating the environment
Cohen’s research indicates most people start experiencing a “liberation phase” in life in their 60s and 70s. “They are ready to try something different, figuring, ‘If not now, when?’ They are not worried much about being good at it. They feel a sense of freedom to experiment,” he says.
“There are over 200 resident-driven activities at communities built and managed by Erickson, so it’s easy to find a creative outlet,” says Ronch. He emphasizes the residents— with a history of talents and skills—come up with ideas and coordinate activities.
Ronch says one of the best things staff does is “get out of the way of the residents. We don’t force them into any activity. If they don’t want to socialize we leave them alone . . . for a while.” But resident life coordinators keep an eye on people and if they have become too detached from life’s joy. “We re-engage them, one step at a time,” he says.
Create your own fun
There is an amazing array of things to spur residents’ interest, including origami, basket weaving, carpentry (in professional wood shops in some communities), theater groups, even video production . . . the list keeps growing. Ronch adds an important point: not every activity is play, in the traditional sense. Ronch remembers one stock broker who was very non-social. “He started sharing his knowledge and it became another type of ‘club,’” says Ronch. If that’s what kept the broker’s group stimulated, why should anyone say it’s wrong?
So look around. The odds are there is something to do. If you aren’t living at an community built and managed by Erickson, call the local Department of Aging, the library, even the community college. Volunteer to start something yourself, like that stockbroker group.
And go ahead . . . get out and “play”!