UPCOMING EVENTS

TimeSlips Training

Friday, September 24, 2010 from 9am to 5pm at Friends Homes West in Greensboro, NC.

TimeSlips is an innovative and effective group storytelling method that helps people with dementia reaffirm their humanity and connect with staff, family and friends. The method replaces the pressure to remember with the encouragement to imagine. Facilitators guide the storytelling session by asking open-ended questions, listening intently, writing down all responses, and weaving them together by repeating the story as it grows. The method values the unique voice of individual participants, their heritage, perspective, and present level of ability. This program is stimulating and fun, creating an environment where all responses are accepted and elders feel safe to participate. Become certified as a facilitator in the TimeSlips Method by attending this interactive one-day workshop focused on self-expression through creative engagement.

Download PDF Announcement Here

REGISTER ONLINE HERE

PAST EVENTS

Click on image below for more information.

Download the Creative Aging Symposium pdf

The growing awareness of human potential in later life provides a unique opportunity for artists and healthcare professionals to proactively incorporate creative programs into the lives of older adults. The Creative Aging Symposium offered people in both professions ways to embrace creativity and advance culture change in aging service environments. The group looked at new ways of improving the quality of life for older adults of all ability levels as this population continues to “boom” and demand for meaningful opportunities increases.
This highly interactive two-day Symposium raised awareness of resources available at the national, state and local levels. The workshops provided valuable hands-on tools to encourage innovative thought and implementation of new creative programs.

Objectives were to:

• Learn about the untapped potential of older  adults and the growing field of creative aging, including research and programming at the national, state and local levels

• Receive hands-on training in creative programs  that you can take back to your community

• Learn about the resources and creative opportunities that exist for older adults locally, regionally and nationally

• Connect with other artists and aging service providers in your area

Art Exchange Project

Check back soon to learn about new developments with this unique art exchange project.

Parcel Post: Creative exchanges between older adults in North Carolina, aims to connect elders of all ability levels, stages of aging and dementia, living in rural areas of Guilford and neighboring counties with their counterparts living in the eastern region of the state. The pilot, which started in January 2010, aims to help older adults learn new ways of communicating visually through regular hands-on creative engagement. At the same time, facility staff and volunteers participating in the project will gain an appreciation for the creative process and learn new ways of activating elders' vital imaginations.

This pilot project uses the postal system as a medium of creative exchange to bridge isolation, discover common ground, and extend the creativity of older adults at 6 sites across the state. Participating sites include:
Autumn Care of Biscoe
Universal Healthcare of Ramseur
ACE at Sandy Ridge in Colfax
Wayne County Services on Aging in Goldsboro
Grace Martin Harwell Senior Center in Washington
Pitt County Senior Center in Greenville

8 to 10 elders at each site are participating in weekly sessions for 12 weeks, resulting in 40 to 60 works of art. The collective works were showcased in May at the Greensboro Cultural Art Center during Create & Celebrate Elder Arts 2010. The artwork will travel to exhibit venues in participating regions throughout the remainder of 2010 and into 2011. Follow this exciting project and share your thoughts at http://parcelpostnc.blogspot.com/.

Parcel Post is a pilot project developed collaboratively by artist Tessa Windt and CCA-NC.

Questions: Lia Miller 336-253-0856 or lia@cca-nc.org

Help make these events successful... donate today!

Create & Celebrate - May 2009

One City, One Book - October/November 2008
CCA-NC hosted book discussion groups and art projects with staff and residents at Abbottswood and Loyalton senior living facilities in collaboration with the Greensboro Public Library's One City, One Book project.

Steve Sumerford, Asst. Dir., Greensboro Public Library, Project Dir. One City One Book & Poetry GSO, Lia Miller, Executive Director CCA-NC & Shepherd's Center of Greensboro, Tommy Hays, Author of The Pleasure Was Mine

This year's selection was The Pleasure Was Mine by Tommy Hays, a quietly wrenching portrayal of grief, a magical and romantic story about the power of love, and an unexpectedly moving take on the resilience of family.

View the artwork created by the residents on display throughout the month of November 2008 at the Central Library. Also on display is artwork by participants of Adventures in Learning (Shepherd's Center of Greensboro) and Memories in the Making classes conducted at Adult Center for Enrichment by CCA-NC staff. Media coverage WFMY- Elder Expressions Exhibit and News & Record - Art for Life Article

MindAlert - Songwriting Works - October 15, 2008

Learn more about Judith-Kate Friedman and Songwriting Works.

"Multicultural Elders Project"

Professional artist Barbara Campbell-Thomas led five workshops inviting elders from Vietnamese, Bosnian/Serbo-Croatian, Russian, American, and Montagnard communities to participate in creating art. Each group created a 30"x40" canvas that expresses their unique cultures, life experiences and what living in America means to them.

Through this project, the CCA-NC aims to promote an appreciation of visual arts among underexposed communities of seniors by providing them with an opportunity to experience creative self-expression in a safe and supportive environment. The panels showcase the talents, histories, and contributions of North Carolina's diverse elderly population.

This project received support from the United Arts Council of Greater Greensboro and the North Carolina Arts Council and was in collaboration with Senior Resources of Guilford, Greensboro Historical Museum, and The Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship.

"A Celebration of Diversity in the Arts"
As part of the 4th Annual Diversity Officers Forum through the Johnetta B. Cole Global Diversity & Inclusion Institute at Bennett College, CCA-NC exhibited TimeSlips stories at the Greensboro Central Library. This city-wide exhibition included stories written by elders with dementia and educational materials about Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias as well as creativity and aging.

"The Art of Aging: Creativity Matters"
As part of this national public awareness campaign, the CCA-NC sponsored an "Art of Aging" event in collaboration with The Greensboro Senior Center. Through video documentation of the event, the CCA-NC created a training video used by the National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA) in their campaign kit. This was a collaborative effort between the NCCA, its networks, The National Institute of Senior Centers and The National Association of State Arts Agencies.

Interested in helping us spread the word about creative aging in North Carolina? Complete this form and return it to CCA-NC.