69: Anne Basting -Aging, Arts and Social Change: A Radical Prescription

ANNE BASTING's work at the crossroads of Arts and Aging has allowed her to pioneer new approaches to the challenges faced by our aging population. In this episode we learn how her efforts have helped advance the creative aging approach as a powerful and effective prescription for reducing isolation, promoting social connections, and mitigating a the symptoms of dementia. BIOAnne Basting is a writer, artist and advocate for the power of creativity to transform our lives. She is Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and Founder of the award-winning non-profit TimeSlips.org, which trains, inspires, and supports caregivers to infuse creativity into care. Her writing and large-scale public performances have helped shape an international movement to extend creative and meaningful expression from childhood, where it is expected, through to late life, where it has been too long withheld.Her books include Creative Care: A Revolutionary Approach to Elder and Dementia Care (Harper), Penelope: An Arts-based Odyssey to Transform Eldercare (U of Iowa), and Forget Memory: Creating Better Lives for People with Dementia (Johns Hopkins). Internationally recognized for her speaking and her innovative work, Anne is the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, and numerous major awards and grants. She believes that creative engagement can and should be infused into every aging care system and has trained/consulted with Meals on Wheels, libraries, home care companies, senior centers, memory cafes, museums, adult day programs, and every level of long-term care.In 2019, Anne collaborated with a team of artists, elders, and caregivers on her largest project yet – a reimagining of the story of Peter Pan with 12 rural Kentucky nursing homes. She is currently obsessed with growing the memory cafe infrastructure across the United States. Change the Story Collections: Connecting the DotsArts-based community development comes in many flavors: dancers, and painters working with children and youth; poets and potters collaborating with incarcerated artists: cultural organizers in service to communities addressing racial injustice, and in this episode related to arts and aging.Many of our listeners have told us they would like to dig deeper into art and change stories that focus on specific issues, constituencies, or disciplines. For anyone who is interested here are links to other Change the Story Episode episodes related to this episode’s subject. Change the Story Collection: Arts and HealingEpisode 63 and Episode 64: A Conversation with Liz LermanNotable MentionsThe following are links to more information about notable programs, people, and issues mentioned in this episode.Creative Care, a Revolutionary Approach to Dementia and Elder Care: In Creative Care, Anne Basting lays the groundwork for a widespread transformation in our approach to elder care and uses compelling, touching stories to inspire and guide us all—family, friends, and health professionals—in how to connect and interact with those living with dementia.TimeSlips: Founded by MacArthur Fellow Anne Basting, in 1998 TimeSlips is an “international network of artists and caregivers committed to bringing joy to late life. As our bodies and minds change with age, people ask – “How can I connect with my mom? My clients? My neighbor?” TimeSlips says try imagination.”Kazuo Ohno, was a Japanese dancer who became a guru and inspirational figure in the dance form known as Butoh.[2] He is the author of several books on Butoh, including The Palace Soars through the Sky, Dessin, Words of Workshop, and Food for the Soul. The latter two were published in English as Kazuo Ohno's World: From Without & Within (2004).The Penelope Project: At Milwaukee’s Luther Manor, a team of artists from the University of Wisconsin’s theatre department led by Anne Basting, and Sojourn Theatre Company, university students, staff, residents, and volunteers traded their bingo cards for copies of The Odyssey. They embarked on a two-year project to examine this ancient story from the perspective of the hero who never left home: Penelope, wife of Odysseus. Together, the team staged a play that engaged everyone and transcended the limits not just of old age and disability but also youth, institutional regulations, and disciplinary boundaries.Sojourn Theatre Is A Program Of The Center For Performance And Civic Practice. Its mission is “to design bold opportunities for participation and unforgettable experience, with rigor and striking physicality.” Sojourn collaborates towards a vision of healthy communities and functional democracy.Nicole Garneau is an interdisciplinary artist making site-specific performance and project art that is directly political, critically conscious, and community building. Her book Performing Revolutionary: Art, Action, Activism was published in print in Spring 2018 by Intellect. In 2022, a fully accessible audiobook version of Performing Revolutionary was released, narrated by Nicole Garneau.Beautiful Questions: As part of the TimeSlips Beautiful Question project, family members, volunteers and professionals who work with older adults invite elders to consider a series of Beautiful Questions. We invite you to use the questions simply to deepen your exchanges but you may also choose to capture responses in written form, photographs, or audio recording and share them with us. If you choose to share, TimeSlips’ artists may shape your responses into works to be shared.Pillsbury House + Theater: A cultural landmark at the crossroads of four historic and diverse Minneapolis neighborhoods, Pillsbury House + Theatre (PH+T) unites innovative human services with professional arts experiences for 30,000 residents who call the area home. Islands of Milwaukee: The Islands of Milwaukee (IoM) (2012-2014) project aimed to create a sustainable network to bring meaningful engagement to older adults living alone or under-connected to community and to use art to catalyze a community-wide conversation about the importance of connecting to community as we age.Memory Café: A Memory Cafe is a wonderfully welcoming place for individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease or any other form of dementia, or other brain disorders. They are designed to include the care partner as well, for a shared experience. Additionally, it is helpful for people with all forms of mild cognitive impairment (MCI.)The Percolator,...