Arts for Life
The Arts for Life Program is an innovative pilot initiative in partnership with local community spaces and seniors' homes. It offers professional artist-led, dementia-inclusive arts programming tailored to seniors, including those living with dementia and their loved ones or carers.
What is Arts for Life?
Arts for Life is our creative engagement model designed for older adults, including those living with dementia. Programs are offered in themed 8-week series led by professional artists trained in aging, dementia sensitivity, and inclusive facilitation.
Sessions run weekly for 1–2 hours, depending on the art form and space. Each week introduces new creative invitations while revisiting shared ideas and works-in-progress, allowing participants to build confidence, reflect, and grow at their own pace.
Each series concludes with a small social sharing, where participants and the facilitator may choose to share their creations with loved ones, carers, and occasionally the wider community. The emphasis is always on creative connection and process rather than performance or polished outcomes.
All series are grounded in the same creative engagement approach.
What are the benefits of this program?
-
The structured, ongoing format supports sustained social and mental engagement, giving participants a consistent, meaningful weekly experience to anticipate and enjoy.
-
Participation can positively influence mood and overall sense of well-being, creating moments of connection, enjoyment, and emotional expression.
-
Programs help strengthen relationships with caregivers, peers, and loved ones through shared creative experiences and conversation.
-
The arts provide a powerful outlet for expression, offering multiple ways for participants to communicate thoughts, feelings, and identity beyond words.
Who is this program for?
This program is inclusive of all seniors, but it is more specifically designed for individuals living with dementia and their loved ones. This program can take place in long-term care homes, retirement living communities, or public community spaces.
Visual Arts
The Visual Arts Series offers hands-on creative exploration using accessible materials and techniques. Participants engage in drawing, collage, painting, and mixed media, focusing on process, self-expression, and shared creativity rather than finished art pieces.
The Theatre Series focuses on storytelling, imagination, and gentle performance exploration. Through movement, voice, improvisation, and shared story-building, participants explore self-expression and connection in ways that are playful, responsive, and accessible to varying cognitive and physical abilities.
Theatre
.jpg)
_edited_edited.jpg)
Movement
The Movement Series emphasizes embodied creativity and joyful movement. Sessions are adaptable and inclusive, offering seated or standing options, guided movement, and creative exploration that supports physical awareness, emotional expression, and group connection.
Music
The Music Series invites participants to explore sound through singing and instruments, rhythm, listening, and collaborative music-making. Music is used as a tool for connection, expression, and presence rather than technical skill or memory recall.
