Arts and culture can help businesses gain competitive edge in senior market

There are a couple of key reasons for the growth spurt of the older market in our region. First, baby boomers, long the most sizable component of the U.S. population, are heading into their golden years. Second, the Ann Arbor area is an excellent place to age. Indeed, Money magazine has hailed it as one of America's best places in the U.S. to retire, citing the area's outstanding health care and cultural amenities, among other desirable attributes.

Arts and culture have more to offer our elders, however, than mere entertainment. A study conducted by the Center for Aging, Health, and Humanities at George Washington University, for example, showed seniors involved in the arts have fewer falls, fewer doctor visits and fewer pills to take. Dr. Gene Cohen, director of the center, reported on the experiment in 2006 and said that seniors who are actively involved in the arts are in better health than those who are not.

"Young at Heart," a singing program for seniors based in Northampton, Mass., seems to bear this out. Started in 1982 with elderly residents of a nearby housing project, the Young at Heart chorus performs rock and punk hit tunes with gusto ... introducing surprising new insights into tunes such as "You Can't Always Get What You Want." The chorus, which was featured in a documentary of the same name, features performers in their 70s, 80s and 90s, giving participants a sense of motivation, social interaction and self-worth that would be enviable at any age. Indeed, with a dozen European tours under its belt, the Young at Heart program has much about it to envy.

Active engagement with cultural activities seems to be the key. A study conducted at a senior facility in Downers Grove found that seniors who engaged in acting showed measurable memory gains. The study involved seniors participating in acting, singing and control groups that lasted for 8 weeks. Participants in the acting group were first asked to define acting and then progressed to learn lines. By the end of the study period, participants were able to perform entire scenes and showed cognitive improvement compared with their peers in the control group when reassessed months later.

Businesses looking to distinguish themselves with the burgeoning senior market should consider the benefits of incorporating arts and culture into their offerings. Today's seniors and baby boomers came of age during a time when the arts were routinely a part of basic education. Baby boomers regularly had art and music classes in school, were hauled off to museums and symphony concerts on school trips, and took art and music appreciation classes in college as part of a "well-rounded" education.

Including regular access to area performances and cultural programs is expected, but active engagement with the creative process could be the element that tips the balance. Working with area cultural organizations to develop programs that engage your customers in the creative process could give your organization the competitive edge ... and provide meaningful and measurable benefits to your consumers.

If you'd like more information about engaging seniors in beneficial creative activities, feel free to contact The Arts Alliance at www.a3arts.org or 734-215-2566.