Creative Ageing Notebook | Arts Mid North Coast

14 December, 2022

Welcome to our Creative Ageing Notebook - bringing you the latest news, research, events and opportunities in the creative ageing sector from all around the world.

Share this notebook with your friends through the social buttons below!

Forward

In our final issue of the Creative Ageing Notebook for 2022 we wrap up some of the local Creative Ageing projects funded through our Country Arts Support Program this year, as well as the latest research and recommendations around incorporating the Arts into ageing well.

Hope you have a fabulous festive season and we look forward to celebrating Creative Ageing with you for Seniors Festival from 1-12 February, 2023!

Warm regards,

The Arts Mid North Coast team

EVERY CARE HOME A CREATIVE HOME

This recent report by David Cutler of the Baring Foundation in the United Kingdom sets out how a systems approach involving the arts sector and social care sector, could help make access to arts and culture more widely available in care homes. A systems approach would involve everyone: residents themselves and their families, care home providers, staff, regulators, social care funders, training providers, arts funders, arts organisations, and the local community.

It concludes with 20 mutually re-enforcing recommendations for Government, care homes, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), care home infrastructure bodies, arts organisations, artists and arts funders. Many of the changes needed would take little or no resources. In particular, the report calls for the CQC to increase its focus on this issue, including through inspections.

Read the report here >>

CREATIVE AGEING PROJECTS

In 2022 Arts Mid North Coast decided to use its Country Arts Support Program (CASP) funds from Create NSW to focus on the development of small pilot programs with a creative ageing focus in the community. Nine great projects were successful and these have been rolled out across the region over the second half of the year. As they have been completed we have put information up on the Creative Ageing pages of our website. This also showcases projects still to be delivered with the last of these in January 2023.

Image: Creative Curiosity project by Port Macquarie U3A Textile and Fibre group with artist Vivianne Hazenveld at Port Macquarie Museum.

Explore CASP Creative Ageing projects here >>

NSW GOVERNMENT POLICY

In November Arts Mid North Coast Executive Director, Kevin Williams was invited to meet with staff of the Minister of Ageing’s Office at Parliament House Sydney. It was an extremely positive meeting canvassing the wide range of issues involved in securing greater recognition of the importance of Creative Ageing. We were also able to outline our involvement in the sector over the last six years and plans and initiatives going forward subject to available funds being secured.

We also discussed the broader policy context provided by the NSW Ageing Well in NSW: Seniors Strategy 2021–2031 and the Ageing Well Action Plan 2021–2022 Plan. Although a 10 year Plan, there is a biannual Ageing Well Action Plan with a new plan for 2023/24 being prepared at the moment. We will look out for it and post details when available. In the meantime the current Action Plan can be found here.

Read current Action Plan here >>

NSW SENIORS FESTIVAL 2023

This annual state wide festival is being held 1 - 12 February, 2023 with the theme Celebrate Together. Arts Mid North Coast will shine a light on local Creative Ageing events during this time and also relaunch our Creative Ageing Directory. During COVID many of the groups and activities involved were particularly hard hit, and we look forward to reintroducing older citizens to the services and activities available Mid North Coast.

We will also highlight local events such as the incredible one man show, The Scruffy Knight, presented by Laurence Olivier with award winning actor Emil Wolk. This septuagenarian is now Port Macquarie based and will be presenting this show at Port Panthers on February 4 after successful seasons at the Newcastle Fringe and Mullumbimby Circus Festivals in 2022. Further details will be posted on our What's On page.

If you are hosting a Seniors Festival event in 2023, don't forget to submit details to our What's On calendar here.

Image: The Scruffy Knight show

Find more about Creative Ageing here >>

For the latest news, events and comment from across the Arts & Cultural sector

Follow Us