This report, the fifth in a series of Aging in Place workshop reports, documents the event that was held in Chicago and provides a comprehensive analysis of the ideas that were discussed as well as the programs and organizations at work to connect older adults to culture and the arts in Chicago and in other cities across America. Chicago is a large cosmopolitan city that has found a number of ways to provide meaningful cultural and artistic opportunities to older adults. Thus, one of the purposes of this report is to inspire and guide other communities to do the same. Download Report> (5.43 MB)

On March 17, 2008, a concerned group of stakeholders gathered together at the Chicago Cultural Center in downtown Chicago to discuss a pressing Aging in Place issue. Engaging Older Adults Through Arts and Culture: Developing a Livable Chicago for All Ages was the theme of the half day workshop which drew a large and diverse group of community arts advocates and aging services providers eager to discuss how Chicago can enhance and expand its arts and culture offerings for older adults.

The workshop featured brief remarks about the national Aging in Place Initiative, a conversation with older adult stage actors, and a panel discussion with local leaders in the arts and the older adult services sector.

To help set the stage for the discussion on arts and culture in Chicago, the following “Backgrounder” section (p. 3) provides demographic and other arts-related information about the Chicago area.

Critical findings and analysis from the workshop are found in the ‘Taking Center Stage: Connecting Older Adults to Culture and the Arts’ section (p.5). This section focuses on the key arts and culture-related issues of an Aging in Place strategy and discusses the local and national approaches that are being put into action in communities throughout the country.

Chicago is home to a number of nationally-recognized programs to connect older adults to the arts and to enhance the capacities of arts and cultural organizations to reach out to the older adult community. A listing and description of these programs and others from around the country is found in the “Aging Friendly Innovations: Best Practices” section (p. 15).  Download Report> (5.43 MB)