Crear Para Sanar (Create for Healing)

Mental health

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

According to the CDC, loneliness and social isolation are serious public health issues for people over 65, increasing the risk of developing dementia by 50%. These risks are exacerbated among first generation Latino immigrants, who face greater social isolation due to language barriers and lack of social ties. By 2050, seniors are projected to make up 30% of the population of LA, while the Latino population is projected to grow to 13 million. It is vital to find creative ways to address these challenges before it’s too late. Crear Para Sanar (Create for Healing) grows out of the personal experience of artist Modesto ‘Flako’ Jimenez, who cared for his immigrant grandmother as she battled dementia. Prioritizing Mental Health and Social Connectedness for the 65+ Latino population, we will cultivate collaborations between artists, scholars, health care practitioners to create together and find inter-generational social support.

Crear Para Sanar (Create for Healing) is a creative aging workshop serving LA’s seniors, cultivating collaborations between artists, scholars, and mental health care practicioners. Arts non-profit ¡Oye! Group (OG) will present creative aging arts workshops (healing rooms) which have been successfully implemented for 2 years in senior centers in New York. In January 2024 OG partnered with Arts & Healing Initiative (A&HI), UCLA, and Valley Intercommunity Council (VIC) to begin offering workshops in the San Fernando Valley.
In 2024-2025, we will implement the following:
Healing Rooms – Bernardi Senior Center – 8 sessions over 8 weeks – guided by OG, local artists, and certified mental health professionals in collaoration with AHI. Workshop participants engage in process and expression-centered arts experiences to improve mental and emotional well-being. Artists are accompanied by bilingual mental health practitioners to provide real-time support and resources. Documentary Film Screening – the Mercedes documentary follows the life of Mercedes, her battle with dementia, her caretakers’ experiences, and how they collectively used art to heal. Interactive Gallery Exhibit – Interactive visual arts exhibits invite the public to learn about aging, mental health, and community resilience through Mercedes’s experience and Latinx caregivers’ stories. Participants are invited to process their own experiences using art.

Crear Para Sanar (Create for Healing) brings mental health resources and builds social connectedness in an under-resourced community. In order to serve LA’s growing senior and Latinx population in 2050, we must lay the groundwork now. These activities are designed to impact seniors and caregivers – with a particular focus on Latinos, who make up nearly 50% of LA County’s population. The intended impact of these workshops and arts experiences is to provide creative outlets and sites of connection, in order to improve mental and emotional well-being and social connectedness among Latino seniors.
In 2025 we plan to serve 150 seniors and caregivers in Los Angeles through a workshop series at Bernardi Senior Center, a documentary screening, and a gallery experience. Our goal is to grow this program by expanding our work to reach 2 more senior centers each year, and expand to different areas of the city, reaching historically underserved Latino neighborhoods in East LA (e.g. Boyle Heights)

The value of developing this project now is to build on the connections we have started building in the community since January. We will define and measure success in the following ways: Number of workshops provided - adding 1-2 each year Number of workshop participants - increasing by 50% each year
Art created through the program - all participants create something New partnerships developed (e.g. more senior centers) - 1-2 new centers per year
Audiences for the interactive components and documentary viewings - 30-50 people per event
Qualitative feedback through open ended surveys or exit interviews which allow us to understand the experience of the participants and how the program is specifically helping individuals.

Arts & Healing Initiative (UCLA affiliate) integrates the innate benefits of the arts with mental health practices. AHI will provide access to certified mental health professionals and support ¡Oye! Group in training facilitators. Valley InterCommunity Council (VIC) provides programs that engage and enrich the lives of older adults across the Greater San Fernando Valley. VIC will provide access to Bernardi Senior Center.