Blog archive
March 2024
Addressing The Needs of Older Adults Through Pasadena Village
03/25/2024
Coming Soon: More Resources for Older Americans, Online and in Person
03/25/2024
Community Building Locally and Nationally
03/25/2024
Preparing for the Future with Ready or Not
03/25/2024
Volunteering is at The Heart of the Village
03/25/2024
Women's Liberation: Then and Now
03/25/2024
Writing Memoirs Together
03/25/2024
Current Views on Current Events
03/20/2024
Unchained
03/18/2024
Rumr of Humor issue # 2409
03/10/2024
Blacks Portrayed by European Artists
03/03/2024
Rumor of Humor #2408
03/03/2024
February 2024
Caring for Ourselves and Each Other
02/27/2024
Doug Colliflower Honored
02/27/2024
Great Decisions Connects Us to the Worldwide Community
02/27/2024
Letter from the President
02/27/2024
Pasadena Village's Impact
02/27/2024
The Power of Touch
02/27/2024
Villages as a New Approach to Aging
02/27/2024
Addressing Gang Violence in Pasadena-Altadena
02/21/2024
Rumor of Humor Issue 2407
02/19/2024
Thank You For Caring.
02/12/2024
Rumor of Humor 2405
02/11/2024
Curve Balls
02/10/2024
Sylvan Lane
02/10/2024
Rumor of Humor 2404
02/09/2024
Larry Duplechan, Blacks in Film
02/03/2024
January 2024
Pasadena Village Joins Community Partners in Vaccination Campaign
01/29/2024
Rumor of Humor #2403
01/28/2024
Pasadena Village Joins Two Healthy Aging Resource Projects
01/25/2024
Decluttering: Do It Now
01/24/2024
Village Volunteers Contribute to the Huntington Magic
01/24/2024
Villagers Creating Community
01/24/2024
Villagers Reflect on Black History Month
01/24/2024
Walk With Ease, 2024
01/24/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2402
01/21/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2401
01/15/2024
Re- Entry Programs, a Personal Experience
01/08/2024
Creative Writing in Older Adults
By Karen L. WhitmorePosted: 04/06/2023
Creative Writing in Older Adults – by Karen Whitmore
Creativity can express itself in many ways. After reading thousands of books, and filling my brain with words, I have chosen writing as my creative expression. I like to use my words to express my ideas, thoughts, and dreams. Sometimes I write for myself - in my journal, recording the events of the day or clarifying my ideas about a subject. Sometimes I write to understand an issue or a problem, or to complain. Sometimes I daydream about future events. Sometimes I write poetry.
I have learned the value of autobiographical writing (a.k.a. journaling) from the Village's Memoir III group. This group inspired me to write about my mother. As I prepared to do so, I embarked on a search for information. My search led me to the discovery of letters and pictures, and prompted me to visit family members. As a result, I discovered in my mother a woman who was different from the one I knew as a child.
Writing autobiographically has also helped me to recognize my unique place in my family. I am sharing this history with my children and plan to leave a legacy for my grandchildren and others who come after me. Writing refreshes my recollection of forgotten things and helps me see my life in a different light.
Writing also helped me clarify my choice to move to South Pasadena from my lifelong home in Washington State. I spent many days writing to define where I wanted to live and what features I wanted in a dwelling.
Creative writing can take many forms. You can create a fictional story from your imagination. You can let your mind travel to exotic places to provide a background for your story. You can then populate the story with interesting characters based on people you have known.
To write poetry, I try to use the first hour of the day, when the world is quiet, and the images of dreams haven’t quite escaped. If you can’t draw and you can’t dance, or if you are housebound, perhaps writing a poem would satisfy your creative urges. Poems can be long or short, personal, or descriptive, rhyming or not.
In addition to providing a creative outlet, studies in the academic community (e.g., The University of Texas at Austin and the Journal of the American Society of Aging) have shown that writing may actually enhance your immune system.
Our later years provide us with the time to take a renewed interest in life. Time to get reacquainted with ourselves, time to learn new activities, to make music, to paint pictures, to write, to create poems. To meet and communicate with friends and make plans for the future. If you can’t draw and you can’t dance, or maybe you are housebound, perhaps writing a poem would satisfy your creative urges, and possibly enhance your immune system as well.