TORONTO ART THERAPY INSTITUTE - GERIATRIC ART THERAPY
Esther Zeller, December 1, 2005
WHO IS THE OLDER ADULT?
“An Elder is a person who is still growing, still a learner, still with potential and whose life continues to have within it promise for and connection to the future. An Elder is still in pursuit of happiness, joy and pleasure and his or her birthright to these remains intact. Moreover, an Elder is a person who deserves respect and honour and whose work it is to synthesize wisdom from long-life experience and formulate this into a legacy for future generations.”
J.C. Weiss
Many senior adults or elderly individuals sustain losses and deficiencies from physical and cognitive disabilities. When these losses and deficiencies change the senior adult’s existing environment into one that lacks safety and is no longer feasible, greater dependency on others for care and survival becomes crucial. At this point in an elderly individual’s life, he or she may find the accommodations of a long-term care facility necessary.