A new policy brief with actionable recommendations calls on public and private sector leaders to embed arts participation into aging policy and practice.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / February 12, 2026 / Lifetime Arts today released a new national policy brief - Creative Aging in the Healthy Aging Ecosystem: Advancing Brain Health, Social Connectedness, and Livable Communities- affirming what research and practice continue to demonstrate: creative engagement is essential to health and well-being as we age.
Authored by aging policy expert Gretchen Alkema, president of Wolf Eagle Enterprises, the brief calls on leaders to integrate creative engagement into aging, health, and community revitalization efforts across federal, state, and local landscapes. An accompanying action plan framework to guide success will be released later this spring.
Older adults are vital cultural contributors to their communities, offering experience, imagination, and insight. The arts offer meaningful ways to share those contributions and stay engaged. Active participation in the arts supports brain health and social connection-key drivers of healthy aging. Creative aging intentionally fosters this engagement across the lifespan, benefiting individuals and communities regardless of age or ability.
"Creative aging is rooted in love-love of staying curious, staying connected, and staying engaged in community," said Heather Ikemire, Executive Director of Lifetime Arts. "As states develop Multisector Plans for Aging that are in turn informing local plans, there is a real opportunity for a more holistic approach to how people experience aging across their lifespans-one that includes creativity as a core part of health and well-being."
This opportunity comes at a critical moment. As the U.S. population ages rapidly, states and communities face rising challenges related to social isolation, chronic disease, caregiving, and cognitive health. Without new approaches, the personal and societal costs will continue to grow.
Supported by The Music Man Foundation, the policy brief serves as both a strategic roadmap and practical resource for policymakers, funders, and practitioners seeking innovative, equitable, and cost-effective ways to support healthy aging. It links creative aging to three core priorities: brain health, social connectedness, and livable communities.
"Lifetime Arts' exclusive focus on creative aging is energizing and admirable," said Sarah Lyding, Executive Director of The Music Man Foundation. "After watching Lifetime Arts succeed in its efforts to raise awareness, coach organizations, and lead states around evidence-based creative aging practices and the benefits for older adults, we are encouraged by the possibilities that this brief introduces for policy makers and stakeholders across the country."
The brief outlines three key recommendations:
Elevate awareness of creative aging's role in strengthening brain health, social connectedness, and livable communities;
Embed creative aging in state and federal policies centered on healthy aging such as Multisector Plans for Aging, Older Americans Act State Plans, and age-friendly efforts;
Accelerate investment in and integration of creative aging strategies across health and aging systems, particularly in the private sector.
"This policy brief provides a timely roadmap for actionable recognition of arts and creative engagement as a valuable and evidence-based component of healthy aging," says Dr. Jill Sonke, US Cultural Policy Fellow with Stanford University and Director of Research Initiatives in the Center for Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida. "Robust evidence highlights that-just like exercise and healthy diets-the arts are a serious means for staying healthy longer."
The policy brief launches the next phase of Lifetime Arts' national initiative focused on helping states and communities put these ideas into action. Over the next few years, Lifetime Arts will convene national and state partners to support adoption in Multisector Plans for Aging, launch a public awareness campaign on the importance of arts engagement, and advance data and measurement to strengthen the field.
To access the policy brief and learn more about the initiative, visit CreativeHealthyAging.Org
Press Contact:
Liza Cucco
Director of External Affairs
connect@lifetimearts.org
www.lifetimearts.org
SOURCE: Lifetime Arts
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/consumer-and-retail-products/lifetime-arts-launches-landmark-effort-on-creative-aging-as-essential-1136776
