Expand Your Impact. Deepen Your Practice. Elevate Your Programming.
Creative aging programming brings joy, sparks engagement, energizes spaces, and fosters meaningful connections among older adults and their communities. By participating in a Lifetime Arts training, you’ll gain research-backed knowledge and practical tools to implement or support creative aging programming that empowers older adults and contributes to their mental and physical well-being. More than 10,000 professionals across health, aging, arts, libraries, veteran services, and other sectors have successfully developed their creative aging practice with Lifetime Arts’ support. Now, it’s your turn.
I’ve done more training than I can count in all my years, and never—not once—did I ever attend a training that felt less like training and more like an experience than I did with Lifetime Arts’ Creative Aging Foundations Training. The input. The feedback. The camaraderie. I’ve had phone conversations with two other trainees already. Partnerships, relationships, and bonds were formed.
–Joylynn M. Ross, Teaching Artist at The Neon Museum, NV
Read About Her Impact
Course Description
Whether you’re an artist, educator, or administrator, this training serves as a comprehensive guide to integrating creative aging into older adult programming, services, and care. Over three interactive, 2-hour sessions, you’ll explore creative aging’s best practices, engage in expert-led discussions, and participate in a live demonstration class. See Course Breakdown and Details
Need to request professional development funds to register? Here is a template letter you can use to start the conversation with your manager.
Who Should Take This Course?
- Teaching Artists + Program Managers: Whether working in a public library, arts organization, museum, residential site or community education setting , get expert guidance on anti-ageist program design and delivery.
- Senior-Serving Organizations: Equip leadership and staff with step-by-step strategies for implementation, partnership development, and sustainability.
- State & National Agencies: Learn how to attract funding and build sustainable arts programming for the growing older adult population.
Have questions? Contact us at info@lifetimearts.org
Pricing + Details
$299/person
Paying for this training yourself? Use discount code “SUBSIDIZED” for $50 off!
If you’re an individual covering the cost yourself, please register using our discount code at checkout. Each training has a limited number of discounted seats for people whose fees are not covered by their organization. If you’d like to register a group of up to five people from your organization, please contact us using this form.
Want to book a cohort training of up to 25 people?
Contact us here for a customized training.
Training Calendar
- March: Every Tuesday, 10th-24th, 3-5pm ET
- April: Every Thursday, 16th-30th, 3-5pm ET
- May: Every Tuesday, 12th-26th, 7-9pm ET
- June: Every Tuesday, 9th-23rd, 3-5pm ET
- August: Every Tuesday, 11th-25th, 7-9pm ET
- September: Every Tuesday, 8th-22nd, 7-9pm ET
- October: Every Thursday, 8th-22nd, 3-5pm ET
- November: Every Thursday, 5th-19th, 3-5pm ET
What You’ll Gain:
Creative Aging Principles + Tools
Understand how the arts promote healthy aging, combat ageism, and reduce isolation.
DEMOnstration CLASS EXPERIENCE
Experience best practices firsthand in a live session led by a seasoned teaching artist.
Community recruitment strategies
Learn how to engage older adults and design culturally responsive programs.
UNIVERSAL DESIGN PRACTICES
Reduce barriers and increase accessibility in your programs.
PARTNERSHIP-BUIldING INSIGHTS
Connect arts and non-arts sectors to create strong, sustainable collaborations.
Funding + Sustainability Strategies
Strengthen impact and attract new partners and funding sources.
Training Sessions + Format
- Format: Three 2-hour Zoom sessions held over three weeks
- Capacity: Limited to 25 participants per session
- Custom Training Available: Have a larger team? Our group trainings are customized to the specific needs of your community. Learn More Here.
Session 1: Creative Aging and Its Benefits
Dive into the nuts and bolts of creative aging and its impact on our health and well-being.
2 hours
- The growing older adult population & their creative potential
- Understanding and addressing ageism through creative engagement
- Proven benefits of arts engagement on older adult health and well-being
- Creative aging approaches and models
Session 2: Practices with Proven Impact
Learn how to design a successful program and experience one via a live demonstration class.
2 hours
- Key principles of older adult learning
- Live demonstration class
- Accessibility & Universal Design practices
- Designing engaging, responsive programs
- Culminating events that celebrate participant achievement
Session 3: Driving Engagement, Growth, & Sustainability
Walk away with a recruitment plan, funding strategies, and resources to launch your program.
2 hours
- Marketing & recruitment best practices
- Community mapping & partnership development
- Program documentation & evaluation
- Funding strategies and budgeting tactics
- Lifetime Arts resources for continued support
- Successful arts + aging collaborations
Meet Our Trainers
Sarah Jacobus
Creative Writing & Storytelling
Get to Know Sarah
Sarah is a Los Angeles-based teaching artist, leading storytelling and creative writing classes with EngAGE, a non-profit that provides arts programming in senior housing. In 2015, Sarah established Imagine That!, an independent practice facilitating creative engagement for elders, primarily those with memory loss, in residential care communities, senior centers and adult day programs. She is a Certified Facilitator and Master Trainer of TimeSlips Creative Storytelling and facilitator of the Alzheimers Poetry Project model. Visit artist website
Jade Lam
Chinese Brush Painting
Get to Know Jade
Jade is a New York–based artist whose Chinese brush paintings blend Eastern traditions with Western influences. Trained in Hong Kong, she now leads workshops in senior centers, libraries, museums, and nonprofit spaces. From 2018–2021, she taught in NYC’s SU-CASA program and continues to offer Chinese painting courses for older adults through various creative learning grants. A committed mentor to other teaching artists, Jade brings cultural depth and passion to every class. Visit artist website
Comedy & Improv
Get to Know Vinny
Vinny is a New York City–based playwright, theater maker, and teaching artist. For the past six years, he has led writing workshops, acting classes, and original revue projects with older adults in senior centers and public libraries. He was a 2019 SU-CASA artist-in-residence with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. In addition to his work with Lifetime Arts, he teaches with Rehabilitation Through the Arts and is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theater at Manhattanville University. Visit artist website
Feedback That Fuels Us
“Their approach doesn’t just add art classes to the calendar; it challenges the way we think about aging itself, and it opens doors for connection, healing, and growth.“
– Christine DeJuliis, Teaching Artist/Peer Support Specialist, John Hopkins Broadway Center for Addiction, MD
“I feel inspired in my ability to work with older adults, but also in the practical side of curriculum planning and working with a partner organization.”
Jesse Deganis-Librera, Teaching Artist, Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Art Center, NY
“I was surprised by the range of learning in these modules/workshops, from immediately-applicable insights to longer-range planning goals.“
Emily Katt, Teaching Artist, Tennessee Arts Commission, TN
Continue Your Creative Aging Journey with Us!
Join The Creative Aging Collaborative
Your journey is just beginning. If you attend a Creative Aging Foundations Training, you’re eligible to join The Creative Aging Collaborative, an interactive community where creative aging practitioners across the country can continue learning, connecting, and growing their program plans together.
Explore More Training + Resources
Learn about our other training and consulting services, connect with us about your next steps, and browse our free resources like The Creative Aging Resource.