STATE AGENCY GUIDE
Practical Tools and Model Language for State Multisector Planning
As states plan for a rapidly growing and increasingly diverse older population, they are making decisions today that will shape healthy aging for years to come. Multisector plans for aging, Older Americans Act state plans, as well as regional and local initiatives offer an important opportunity to recognize something fundamental to well-being: creativity is part of healthy aging.
Creative Aging Defined
Creative aging—the practice of intentional artistic and creative engagement throughout our lives—supports health, connection, purpose, and participation as we age. It intersects with priorities already central to state aging agendas, such as brain health, social connection, and livable communities. Explore the interactive graphic below to see how creative aging links with livable communities or download the PDF resource by clicking here.
Outdoor Spaces + Building
Creative aging activates public spaces—parks, libraries, community centers, and cultural venues—making them more welcoming, accessible, and vibrant places for people of all ages to gather.
Transportation
Programs hosted in accessible, local venues (like libraries or senior centers) reduce transportation barriers, while partnerships can align with broader mobility solutions to ensure older adults can participate.
Work + Civic Engagement
Creative aging creates paid opportunities for practicing teaching artists, volunteer roles for participants, and pathways for older adults to contribute meaningfully to their communities through arts and culture.
Communication + Info
Creative aging initiatives often serve as trusted entry points for sharing information, reaching older adults through accessible, community-based channels that go beyond digital-only communication.
Social Participation
At its core, creative aging addresses one of the most critical challenges in aging—social isolation—by offering accessible, engaging opportunities to connect through shared creative experiences.
Respect + Social Inclusion
Creative aging programs elevate the voices, stories, and contributions of older adults, fostering intergenerational exchange and reinforcing that older adults are valued, cultural contributors.
Community + Health Services
Increasingly recognized as part of the healthy aging ecosystem, creative aging supports mental health, cognitive function, and caregiver well-being—complementing traditional health and social services.
Housing
Creative aging supports aging in place by bringing meaningful, social, and creative opportunities directly into housing settings, including senior housing, community centers, and home-based programs.
Across the country, states are already putting these connections into policy.
Lifetime Arts reviewed current multisector/master plans for aging and Older Americans Act state plans to identify where and how states are incorporating creative engagement. More than half of states include references to arts, music, culture, and/or creative aging in these plans. Their approaches offer useful examples for other states ready to make creative aging more visible within their own priorities, strategies, and investments.
This resource brings those examples together—so policymakers and agency leaders don’t have to start from scratch.
Embedding Creative Aging in State Policy
There are many ways to embed creative aging into state policy. The right starting point depends on your state’s priorities, planning cycles, partnerships, and existing infrastructure.
Whether your state is developing a new or updating an existing multisector plan for aging, renewing an Older Americans Act state plan, or looking for practical ways to strengthen current initiatives, here are tools to activate the value of creative aging into actionable policy.
Explore the resources below:
ACCESS
Embedding Creative Aging into Healthy Aging Policy
See how creative aging and creative engagement are appearing in multisector/master plans for aging and Older Americans Act state plans across the country. The resource highlights emerging approaches and opportunities for incorporating creative aging into future planning.
SEARCH
The Model Language Database
Explore exact language from state plans by state, plan type, and keyword. Use these examples as a starting point—not a prescription—for language that fits your state’s goals and context.
READ
The Creative Aging Policy Brief
Build the case for creative aging as part of the healthy aging ecosystem and understand the evidence and policy opportunities behind this work.
USE
The Messaging Guidebook
Find language and framing to help communicate the value of creative aging with policymakers, partners, funders, and community stakeholders.
INTEGRATE
Creative Aging into State Agency Work
Not every agency needs to begin with statewide policy change. This practical guide identifies three high-impact opportunities: integrating creative aging into agency programs and practices, advancing it through policy and planning, and building awareness and investment in local communities.
Let Us Help You Get Started!
Our support goes beyond tools and resources. Connect with us to explore how creative aging can support your state’s priorities and become part of broader healthy aging plans, policies, and initiatives.