Because of the vulnerability of older adults to COVID-19, in-person services for the aging will be among the last to return. So AFTA moved its programs to live-streamed and pre-recorded participatory workshops in music, movement, and painting. The new "pandemic-resilient" workshops rolled out first with longtime teaching artists, client communities, and caregivers and, as capacity allows, will roll out to others. Because the digital divide is particularly evident in long-term care, low-income communities, and communities of color, AFTA creates programs that reach across the divide: heART Kits delivered with meals to older adults and caregivers at home, and more live and pre-recorded programs such as poetry and short story workshops are forthcoming. Dubbed a model in lifelong learning and creative aging by the NEA, AFTA knows that the arts can lift spirits and engage minds ... no matter what crises we face.
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