Art is Fundamental

“Before a child talks they sing. Before they write they draw. As soon as they stand they dance. Art is fundamental to human expression.” Phylicia Rashad beautifully describes the impact of the arts.

Juniper Village at Mount Joy would like to take this a step further and say, “When a person can no longer talk, they can sing. When they can no longer write, they can draw. When they can no longer stand and walk, they can still dance in their seat.”

This week our Connections Director, Renee Lentz, spoke to just that thought, joining Jamie Dunlap, Director of Arts in Education Division, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and Cheryl Kugler, Creative Aging Teaching Artist Renee presented at the Alzheimer’s Association Spring Professional Education Conference. The trio shared information on the PCA and Creative Aging Residencies offered through the program. The PCA is a state agency in the Office of the Governor, created by legislative act of the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1966. Their mission is “To strengthen the cultural, educational, and economic vitality of Pennsylvania’s communities through the arts.”  Focused from the view of an Activity Director and Musician, Renee’s portion of their presentation highlighted the numerous benefits of fine arts on whole person health, including reduction of falls, lessening signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety and decreased used of psychotropic medications.

A Creative Aging Residency matches a trained teaching artist with a senior living community to design a multi-day residency project that engages the participants in an authentic art experience. Juniper Village at Mount Joy will be participating in a Creative Aging Residency beginning in Spring of 2020.