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Commentary
AGING WELL: Finding ways to be creative benefits both mind and soul Missy Buchanan, Mar 12, 2009
Missy Buchanan
By Missy Buchanan Special Contributor
The painting of an empty wheelchair in the corner of a room caught my eye. The artist, John Quinlan, was a 78-year-old friend who had painted the scene as a kind of personal celebration: He had completed six long months of rehab following a stroke and was finally able to leave the wheelchair behind.
John’s painting got me to thinking. I have led seminars on creativity for large corporations and universities. I have coached groups of youngsters in creative problem-solving techniques. But I had never given much thought to creativity as it relates to the aging process. Until now.
Not long after I saw John’s painting, I toured The Point Center for Arts and Education at C.C. Young Retirement Community in Dallas, Texas. The new center’s goal is to nurture the ageless spirit and promote creativity through holistic experiences involving body, mind and spirit.
Creative elderly
As I strolled from the center’s performing arts theater to its meditation chapel, I met 85-year-old artist Virginia McDonald, a longtime resident of C.C. Young. Virginia took me to an art classroom to show me one of her award-winning paintings.
I couldn’t help but notice her deep sense of accomplishment, and rightfully so. She told me how painting had provided a valuable emotional and spiritual outlet for her during her husband’s lengthy illness and the season of grief that followed.
Fellow resident Adyllis Wise agreed, saying that her embroidery and painting projects helped her find purpose, and made her feel alive. I also met a sculptor whose eyes lit up as she explained how molding clay was beneficial to arthritic hands and wilting spirits.
I left The Point pondering the significant relationship between creativity and the quality of life for older adults. Not the way pop culture defines creativity, but in its purest form as a response to God’s limitless creativity and faithfulness.
Scripture tells us we are made in his image. We are wired to be creative.
We should be careful not to limit creativity to the visual and performing arts. Though it is often expressed through painting, writing, music and dance, creativity is also is communicated through things like rearranging the furniture and generating new ideas for dinner.
Creativity is about exploring different perspectives and possibilities for all of life.
Research shows that older adults who pour themselves into creative efforts are better able to deal with life changes. Creativity promotes spontaneity and reduces monotony, which can lead to depression. It reawakens a sense of playfulness and boosts self-esteem.
Journaling
I know one elderly woman who has found a creative solution to sleepless nights. Instead of tossing and turning, she writes in one of the journals that she keeps for each of her eight grandchildren. She is personalizing them with stories written for each child. After she’s written a page or two, she is able to turn off the light and drift back to sleep.
Recently I gave some card-making supplies to an elderly friend who embraces her own creative gifts. Seeing the stash of supplies, she hurried through lunch like a child on Christmas morning. With the last bite of dessert, she spread out the packages of card stock, glue and decorative doodads as if they were priceless gemstones. Then with a twinkle in her eye, she gathered up the treasures and headed back to her apartment.
By the next day, she had made a stack of cards, each one uniquely crafted. Inside, she had written words of faith and encouragement. I watched my friend’s mood brighten even more as she gave the cards away to fellow residents.
Like the folks at The Point, my friend understood something vital to aging well: The power of creativity to breathe new life into worn-out bodies is something only God could do.
Ms. Buchanan, a member of FUMC Rockwall, Texas, is the author of Living with Purpose in a Worn Out Body (Upper Room Books).
Missy Buchanan
Creative elderly 
