Culture Shift 2026
Residents and staff sharing a moment of joy together
At Creative Spark, we use four creative aging principles as a framework for everything we do. These principles apply to all elder care roles - from nursing to activities to administration. They are Wellbeing, Grow, Connect, and Culture Shift.
The first three principles feel familiar to most people, but “Culture Shift” is less common in senior living circles. “Culture” is defined as the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people or other social group. And, “Shift” is a change in position, direction, or tendency. So, then Culture Shift is simply a change in the customs of a group of people. In the context of Creative Aging, we are looking to shift how staff working with older adults are trained and supported by using creative aging.
Here is an example of how a single community project can affect Culture Shift:
An assisted living community partnered with a local school’s art department to launch a resident-led storytelling and portrait project.
The project invited students in a life drawing class to come and draw portraits of residents and to share meaningful life stories.
Residents were encouraged to draw the students and interview them as well. The drawings were framed and hung in the lobby of the assisted living community alongside the resident’s life stories.
The final portrait unveiling was a community-wide celebration. Staff, residents, the students, and families attended.
Residents were honored as creators, not just care recipients.
Staff reported feeling more energized and inspired by the creativity and depth of the residents.
The community administrator also noticed fewer complaints and stronger resident satisfaction scores.
The residents advocated for a permanent arts budget and encouraged more staff-resident partnership projects.
This example shows us not only a shift through intergenerational creativity and story sharing, but also a shift in how the residents saw themselves; going from care recipients to empowered decision-makers who advocate for more enriching experiences.
In addition to wanting to see more creativity infused projects, Creative Spark is focused on shifting the attitudes of the community at large towards aging. Creative aging helps change the way people think about getting older. Older adults take part in the change by showing that creativity doesn’t stop with age. Staff and organizations feel more excited and connected to their work by inserting their own creativity and being inspired by what others have to share. Creative programs help everyone better understand one another and treat each other with more respect. This helps break down unfair stereotypes about aging and builds a more welcoming community for people of all ages. That’s a Culture Shift everyone can get behind!
We invite you to join us in our mission for Culture Shift in 2026 and beyond by joining our E-learning Community Early Access List.
