Quality of Life Programming in Senior Living Facilities

Originally posted 3/6/2023

By Amber Kear, Artist
​Creator of The Hysteria Company & former Awakening Minds Art board member

With our aging population doubling by 2050 (according to US Census data) from 1 billion in 2020 to 2.1 billion nationwide, Ohio is not left out of those numbers. By 2030 elder Ohioans will account for more than a quarter of our population. Those of you who are reading this: will you be considered part of the aging population as 65 or older by 2030; how about by 2050? What’s this mean for you?

Neuroscience and psychology research says that as we continue to age and our personalities change and adapt, we have a harder time with our cognitive abilities, mental health, cardiovascular health and social skills. That’s a lot to take on as a person, and a lot for a senior living facility to support in every one of its residents. But this is the reality for – perhaps - your parents, grandparents, or YOU within the next couple decades. That’s why quality of life programming within senior living facilities is so vital as an all-encompassing tool to help the aging population transition into and through the next stages of life.

Awakening Minds Art (AMA) provides essential therapeutic and educational visual art services within our local, NW Ohio senior living facilities, serving our aging community members and bringing valuable opportunities of well-being to the present and future residents. Through art, AMA provides not only quality of life, but also a way for people to exercise their minds, hearts, and bodies so that they continue to function while experiencing a major transition to end of life.

For more information about the therapeutic art AMA offers and the ways it affects quality of life within senior living facilities, read more here.

I am passionate about the senior living and memory care services AMA offers, and this passion is part of why I chose to be on the board of directors. One reason for this is my role in the community as a local artist and designer who works with many different people—I see, firsthand, the support needed at every stage of life. Second, my own personal experiences with friends and family members who’ve had the opportunity to transition into assisted living facilities. I can’t help but see the urgency for us all to find a way to support AMA services, and in doing so, support the quality of life efforts within senior living facilities.

Awakening Minds Art is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. If you’re interested in supporting AMA with a financial gift, you are invited to donate to the Fundraising & Awareness Campaign which recognizes the positive benefits of AMA programming within senior living, nursing, and memory care facilities. Your generosity enhances these therapeutic and educational programs, and others!

This fundraising campaign is over. However, you can still support these programs through a donation made to Awakening Minds Art here.