Enriched Aging Past Programs

C Sharp Arts Engagement was a life enrichment and research program for people with dementia and their care partners who wish to attend dance and theater performances and participate in a National Endowment of the Arts funded study examining the sense of connection, mood, and cognition related to experiencing the arts.

We tested a virtual reality symphony experience using headsets to see what people like about the experience and if it would be possible to expand beyond our current participants to those in residential care facilities or in communities outside of the greater Fort Collins area.

Read about the study – Being There: Exploring Virtual Symphonic Experience as a Salutogenic Design Intervention for Older Adults

This program was designed to enhance the quality of life for people with Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia and memory loss at Hearts and Horses Therapeutic Riding Center in Loveland, Colorado. Riding in the Moment involves opportunities to pet, groom, and ride horses. The initial study  found that the program enhanced participants’ quality of life with increased levels of communication over the other activities at the participants’ long-term care facility.

Photo credit: Hearts and Horses Therapeutic Riding Center

This gardening program, held at the Fort Collins Senior Center, was designed for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia and their care partners to engage in gardening. The experience involved opportunities to plant and transplant flowers and vegetables, as well as caring for plants over the course of the program.

The first expansion of the B Sharp symphony program engaged a handful of participants in making masks at the Museum of Art. Each pair, a person with dementia and their care partner, attended four sessions at the museum and used mask making as an opportunity to explore shared memory through the visual arts. Participants involved in the program commented that it was a positive experience, a great way to get creative with their loved one, and a lot of fun!