This engaging and practical book shows how older people who are disoriented or depressed or socially excluded by the process of aging can experience a renewed sense of connectedness and life-affirmation through the expressive arts and arts therapies. Twenty contributors, introduced by two leading psychiatrists in the field of gerontology, combine a thought-provoking analysis of theoretical considerations around the themes of again, society and dementia with practical applications in a diverse range of creative arts including drama, music, art, dance and creative writing. They also include descriptions of innovative inter-generational and cross-cultural projects. Professionals working with older people in a range of settings including residential homes, community centres and psychiatric care will find this book to be an indispensable guide to their practice.
Forewords: 1. Empathetic Connections, Stanley Cath, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston. 2. Why Some Older Adults Disconnect, George Sigel, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston. Editor's Introduction, Naida Weisberg and Rosilyn Wilder. Poem: To You, Connector and Healer, Rosilyn Wilder Part One: Art Experiences Accessible To All. 1. Approaches to Training and Curriculum Design in the Visual Arts for the Elderly, Pearl Greenberg, National Lecturer on Art in Education and Gerontology. 2. ''To Be Remembered'' and Addendum: Thoughts of the Millenium, Georgiana Jungels, University of Buffalo, New York. Part Two: Dance and Movement: A Primary Art Expression. 3. ''Can You Grab A Star?'', Jocelyn Helm, DanceTherapist, New Jersey. 4. ''My Cheeks are Rosy Anyway: I Can't be Dead'', Dorothy Jungels, Everett Dance Company and Carriage House Theatre, Rhode Island and John Belcher, Musician, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Part Three: The Drama In Our Lives 5. First Encounters, Naida Weisberg and Rosilyn Wilder. 6. Life Journeys: The Stop-Gap Method with Elders, Don R. Laffoon, Victoria Bryan and Sherry Diamond, Stop-Gap Institute, California 7. 'Secrets I Never Told Before,' Rose Pavlow, Improvise!, Inc. 8. A Tapestry of Voices: From Interview to Script, Bernice Bronson, Playwright, Director, Actress, Rhode Island Part Four: Intergenerational: Youth and Elders Come Together 9. Youth and Elders Inter-Act, Rosilyn Wilder. 10. What Does It Mean To Be Hispanic in Rhode Island?, Naida Weisberg. 11. The Folk Tale as Catalyst, Rose Pavlow. Part Five: Music and Sound to Liberate the Individual. 12. Older Adults are Total People, Marian Palmer, Music Therapist. National Speaker/Consultant and Gerontologist, Florida. 13. A Route to the Heart in a Short-Term Care Hospital Setting, Christophe Greider, Music Therapist, St Barnabas Hospital, New Jersey. 14. We've No Less Days, Delight Immonen, Music Therapist, Rhode Island College Faculty. Part Six: Writing: The World Unites Past, Present and Future. 15. Is It Literature, Is It Art?, Laura Fox, Taproot Workshops, Long Island, New York. Part Seven: Connecting Elders: Empowering Groups. 16. The Creative Power Within Us, Marilyn Barsky, Clinical Psychologist, New Jersey. 17. Invocation of Group Process and Leadership, Marc Kaminsky, Psychotherapist, Gerontologist. New York. Biographical Sketches. List of Professional Organizations. Index.
The premise of the editors of this book is that the creative arts provide a powerful medium through which older people can express themselves and live more fulfilling lives. Its strength lies in the way in which the various contributors demonstrate how they turned these aims into a reality through dance and movement, drama, music and creative writing, using examples from their own work in a wide range of settings, from day centres to care homes...The book offers a useful compendium of new ideas.
