{"id":22714,"date":"2019-07-31T05:00:40","date_gmt":"2019-07-31T12:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=22714"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T23:34:11","slug":"a-spark-of-creativity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/a-spark-of-creativity\/","title":{"rendered":"A Spark of Creativity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Know your way around a canvas? The upcoming National Assisted Living Week is your time to shine \u2013and help your elderly loved ones channel their own artistic side. The annual observance takes place from September 8-14, and this year\u2019s theme is \u201cA Spark of Creativity.\u201d<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-22715\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/07\/National-Assisted-Living-Week-2019.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"274\" height=\"184\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Now in its 24<sup>th<\/sup> year, National Assisted Living Week is an opportunity for residents, family and staff to celebrate the individuals served in assisted living. It\u2019s also a great excuse to explore the different elements and ideas that make up this avenue of long-term care.<\/p>\n<p>The National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL), who organize the week-long event, hope the artistic theme will inspire staff of all levels to host fun, unique activities that enrich the senior living experience for each resident. \u201c\u2018A Spark of Creativity\u2019 encourages everyone to get their creative juices flowing \u2013 whether it\u2019s residents trying out new things, or caregivers exploring innovative ways to improve care and community life,\u201d said Scott Tittle, executive director for the NCAL.<\/p>\n<p><strong>More to Art Than Meets the Eye <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Art therapy has long been a recognized method for boosting happiness and stimulating mental ability. Many residents report better well-being after taking part in the arts \u2013 and it\u2019s even helpful for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aarp.org\/health\/dementia\/info-2018\/dementia-alzheimers-art-therapy-new.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">those living with dementia<\/a> or Alzheimer\u2019s. By infusing art into the everyday experience of their communities, staff can help their residents sustain a sense of purpose and stay connected with one another.<\/p>\n<p>The great thing about art (and the benefits therein) is that it\u2019s not limited to just painting a picture, which can be a dexterously demanding task for older adults. Some communities put on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/news\/scene-iors-on-stage\/15171.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recreations of famous plays<\/a> or movie scenes with their residents, coached by local actors. Other senior living providers bring in licensed music therapists who use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brookdale.com\/en\/brookdale-life\/blogs\/2018\/12\/therapy-thats-music-to-your-ears.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">song and instruments<\/a> to raise spirits and get residents moving. But you don\u2019t have to recruit professionals to put on a creative event. Activities can be as simple as meditation or reflection exercises, which can inspire new ideas and benefit the mind.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Time to Put Brush to Canvas<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Want to take part? Reach out to your local senior living home and offer to host a class or lead an activity in your artistic area of expertise. If you\u2019re already a staff member of an assisted living community, be sure to check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ahcancal.org\/ncal\/events\/nalw\/Documents\/Planning%20Guide.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NCAL\u2019s planning guide<\/a> for this year. It\u2019s full of simple, creative ideas that are sure to draw residents in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Know your way around a canvas? The upcoming National Assisted Living Week is your time to shine \u2013and help your elderly loved ones channel their own artistic side. The annual observance takes place from September 8-14, and this year\u2019s theme is \u201cA Spark of Creativity.\u201d Now in its 24th year, National Assisted Living Week is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":491,"featured_media":22715,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2618,2952],"tags":[842,2438],"class_list":["post-22714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-senior-living","tag-senior-living","tag-yardi-senior-living-suite"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v24.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Yardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Know your way around a canvas? 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