Richard Hood, a retired literature professor living in Greene County, Tennessee, sums up a fear many people have about growing older:  “I turned out to be a fairly typical example of the suddenly solitary old geezer. After a long and happy career, I suddenly found myself out of work (retired), out of family (my daughter moved to Texas, and I lost my wife), out of community contacts (I moved to Tennessee from Ohio to help out my 100-year-old father), and basically out of life.”

Stories like this are not uncommon among older Americans. Many people experience a growing lack of purpose and increased social isolation as they age, and while we all felt the effects of social isolation on our happiness, productivity, and mental and physical health in 2020, its effects on older adults existed long before the COVID-19 pandemic. The health consequences of these experiences are costly, both to individuals and society. Research associates a lack of purpose with earlier mortality, and social isolation with a 29 percent increase in the risk of coronary heart disease and a 32 percent rise in the risk of stroke. And according to a 2017 study by AARP and Stanford University, the financial burden of social isolation for older adults with Medicare is estimated at $6.7 billion annually.

Yet, contrary to popular opinion, aging is not a one-way street to isolation, dementia, and decline. In fact, the vast majority of older adults remain cognitively fit and eager to live fully, embrace new ideas and skills, and enjoy meaningful connections with one another. As a recent article series on multigenerational solutions highlights, older adults are rich in assets that society doesn’t routinely recognize.

As the number of older Americans continues to grow dramatically, we must explore more asset-based—not just deficit-based—approaches to aging and recognize the vast potential of older adults to engage with and positively contribute to society. One promising solution is creative aging: arts programming specially designed to help older adults access and benefit from quality lifelong learning, in a way that fosters connection and imagination.

Read the full article about creative programming for older people by Teresa Bonner at Stanford Social Innovation Review.