1:45-3:00 p.m

8-B. Reducing Social Isolation through Creative Aging Initiatives

Music, movement, and the visual arts can be powerful catalysts for resident connection, engagement, and well-being across senior living and community-based settings. This session will introduce you to arts-based programs that have been shown to reduce social isolation and loneliness among participants and to improve mood and quality of life. You’ll meet the leader of Goddard House, a Boston-based assisted living and memory support community that intentionally integrates the arts and music into residents' daily lives and sponsors programs that offer similar opportunities in local senior housing communities. Researchers on the panel will review current studies that illustrate the scope, impact, and effectiveness of these and other arts-based interventions. You’ll gain valuable strategies to help you enhance the resident experience in your senior living community.

• Eileen Tell, Principal and CEO, ET Consulting
• Robyn Stone, Strategic Advisor, LeadingAge
• Candace Cramer, CEO, Goddard House Assisted Living
• Katherine M Richman, PhD, MS, RN, PhD Candidate, Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Boston