Summit ElderCare, a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), and the Worcester Art Museum have joined together to provide a variety of art classes to participants at Summit ElderCare’s 227 East Mountain Street location in Worcester.
Under the instruction of Worcester Art Museum instructor Tom Kellner, Summit ElderCare participants are able to join classes every Wednesday from 1 to 3 p.m. through June 13. In these classes, participants are given an opportunity to let their creativity take over through painting, pottery, water color, clay and print making techniques.
“We are so excited to partner with the Worcester Art Museum in providing this wonderful program to our participants,” Karen J. Longo, Executive Director, Summit ElderCare. “While the insurance, medical and other supportive services that we provide are more obvious, we also continuously strive to offer activities and social opportunities that provide creative outlets for our participants to express their feelings and experiences.”
“The goal of these art lessons is not necessarily about producing beautiful works of art, but rather to help participants feel good about themselves and help them to communicate with others,” said Nancy Grigas, Activities Coordinator, Summit ElderCare.
Summit ElderCare’s Medical Director, David Wilner, M.D., said that keeping one’s mind active can help preserve thinking skills. “Art and music stimulate different areas of the brain more than reading, speaking and even doing puzzles. This collaboration between Summit ElderCare and the Worcester Art Museum will help our participants exercise their brains in more ways,” said Dr. Wilner.
This is the first time the Worcester Art Museum and Summit ElderCare have provided this program, and Alexander Dunn, Outreach Coordinator for the museum, is thrilled to be bringing creativity to the participants.
“When art is stripped free of its context, value and notoriety, it becomes the most wonderful form of human expression,” said Dunn. “As a museum, we are charged with both preserving art for future generations and spreading the experience of creativity to all.”
Funding for the program is made possible by the Worcester Art Museum’s Stoddard Discovery Fund. Established in 1997, the fund ensures the continuation of excellent educational programs and provides essential funding for outreach to underserved segments of the community.
Note to media: Photographers, videographers and reporters are invited to experience a class first hand on Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 1 to 3 p.m. Summit ElderCare, 277 E. Mountain Street, Worcester, MA.
For more information, please contact Bob Nolan, FCHP, at 508-368-9430.