When we look at aging and the arts, we soon realize that the need for creativity is always with us no matter how old we become. The desire and ability to create has always been at the heart of our human experience. It helps us adapt to new environments, cope with what life hands us and helps us to express ourselves as human beings.

Susan Perlstein, writing for the journal Generations, tells us that "America is not very good at recognizing the innate ability of elders to develop creative outlets for themselves." We think of ourselves most often in terms of youth and raw challenge, and elders have all too often been considered as debilitated, both in mind and body.

The last five years have brought some changes in our attitudes about growing older. As the huge hunk of boomers begins to age, they have taken another look at the whole process and realized that it is indeed a natural passage that comes with its own set of strengths. The arts are beginning to play a major role in how we understand and experience aging. For example, Perlstein points to the National Center for Creative Aging, which was established in 2001 by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The center focused its attention on understanding the relationship between creative expression and the quality of life for older people. We are now seeing that a very diverse groups of leaders in the field such as arts program directors, health-care professionals, artists, writers and policymakers are opening up the world of creativity to elders.

As a result of the first major longitudinal study on creativity and aging, we are discovering that decline is not necessarily our destiny. Dementing disorders are being addressed, and we are finding that more often than not, age-associated problems are modifiable. The actual potential of aging is beginning to be more often accepted.

When I began writing this column a bit more than 20 years ago, I absolutely knew that growing older was not all about doom and gloom. There were positive aspects to this passage, and I set out to study the research and my own experience and find ways to tell you about it. It has taken a bit of time, as most things do, but the boomers are on our side, and things are on the move.

As we enter that stage of our lives encompassing the late 60s and on into our 80s, we reach a time of life known as the "summing-up" phase. We often have a desire to find a larger meaning in the story of our lives as we look back and contemplate what has happened over that course. This can open the door to folks wanting and needing to explore, examine and sum up what has happened to them. They want to share their wisdom through autobiography, story telling, community activism, volunteering and other forms of giving back. We often use creative strategies during these years to help us deal with unresolved conflicts and unfinished business.

A rich body of research on aging has also associated positive health outcomes with engagement of elders in activities in which they experience a sense of mastery. Gene Cohen, director of the Center on Aging, Health and Humanities at George Washington University, tells us that the influence of sense-of-control on health is more pronounced in the second half of life. This feeling of mastery leads to increased feelings of empowerment and a kind of realization that helps us understand that control in one area increases the level of comfort with exploring new challenges.

The arts give us a good avenue to a sense of mastery and control. The opportunity to create something new and beautiful offers real satisfaction and empowerment.

The mind has a powerful influence on the body. There are also powerful interactions between the nervous system and the immune system, and this has an effect on behavior and health.

Positive emotions can also influence our immune system by a boost in T cells, which act as a protective mechanism.

The arts offer a productive path into social engagement, which has been demonstrated to have a very positive influence on general health and reduced mortality. A long history exists of case reports and observational studies looking at the impact of art and art therapy on alleviating illness in late life.

Even when significant intellectual impairment exists, artistic skills seem to remain, in some cases, even showing enhancement. As poet William Carlos Williams put it, "Old age that adds as it takes away" seems to be the case more often than not when applied to artists. In many cases, depression is lifted and skills are strengthened when a troubled elder becomes engaged in artistic activity.

When we focus not just on treatment for a patient’s clinical problems but also on the individual potential of that person, we find that health is promoted and illness cared for. Through the arts we can bring hope and clarity to situations that might otherwise be challenged by despair and confusion.