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.

Headquarters: MD-Montgomery County

Where They Operate: DC-Ward 2; DC-Ward 3; MD-Montgomery County; MD-Prince George's County; VA-Arlington County; VA-Fairfax County; VA-City of Alexandria; VA-City of Fairfax; Tenleytown, Chevy Chase, Downtown,Chinatown,Anacostia

Age Groups Served: Seniors (50+)

Ethnic Groups Served: African American; Asian American; Caucasian; Latino/Hispanic; Other

Schools They Work In: Summer campers at Longbranch Community Center; Parkdale High School; Summer campers from Chevy Chase Community Center; Chance Academy

Awards & Recognition

1) National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) designates our program a model in lifelong learning and creative aging.

2) Named a Trailblazer by the Maryland Department on Aging

3) Founding member, National Center for Creative Aging

4) Methodology published in "Creativity Matters: The Arts and Aging Toolkit", considered a seminal industry resource.

5) AFTA Founder Lolo Sarnoff recognized for Volunteerism by the Alzheimer's Association.

6) Featured in the national PBS documentary film Do Not Go Gently

Press

  • Using the Arts to Promote Healthy Aging
    Fri Jul 8 2016, The New York Times  
    Personal Health columnist Jane Brody shares the importance of arts participation and its link to better health, including the work of AFTA.
    connect here

Budget (FY2015)

  • $3 million or higher
  • $1 million to $3 million
  • $500k to $1 million
  • The current budget for Arts for the Aging is: Less than $500k

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