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Creative Arts Therapy

When words stop reaching someone, music and art still can.

Board-certified music and art therapy for senior adults — brought to where they already live. For memory, for mood, for the moments that give a day its meaning.

Art and music therapy with a senior adult

These are professional creative arts therapy programs, led by board-certified therapists, designed to support connection, wellbeing, and quality of life. They are not a substitute for medical or psychological care — they are something families reach for when they want more for the person they love than safety alone.

You can arrange the medications, the meals, the aide who comes on Tuesdays. You can get every practical thing right and still feel that something essential has gone quiet — that the person is being kept safe rather than kept company.

This is for that gap. Not more supervision. Something that reaches the person, not just the condition.

Two paths in

Two things get through when much else has stopped working.

A familiar song. The simple act of making something with your hands. Here's what each one does.

Music Therapy

A board-certified music therapist uses music — listening, singing, playing, sometimes writing it — toward real, personal goals: easing anxiety, lifting mood, calming agitation, and reopening a door to someone who has grown hard to reach.

  • Why it works when other things don't

    Musical memory is remarkably durable. People who have lost names, faces, and the thread of a conversation will often still have a song — all the way through, in the right key. For the length of a chorus, families get the person back.

  • What a session looks like

    Thirty to forty-five minutes, one-to-one or in a small group. Built around the person's own history — the songs from when they were young, the music that meant something.

  • Who it helps most

    Senior adults living with dementia and Alzheimer's; anyone dealing with anxiety, agitation, depression, or isolation; and families walking through the end of life.

Art Therapy

A credentialed art therapist uses making things as the way in — not for the finished picture, but because some feelings find their way out through the hands before they ever reach words. No artistic ability required.

  • Why it works

    For people who find direct conversation difficult — or who genuinely can't reach the feeling through language — the materials do the reaching. Strong record in memory care and with loss that resists being spoken plainly.

  • What a session looks like

    About an hour, materials already set out, the conversation happening around the work rather than across a desk. Quieter than music, often — and no less powerful for it.

  • Who it helps most

    People for whom words have become hard, whether from dementia or grief; those processing a major loss; and anyone who lights up with something in their hands and a person paying attention.

Who it's for, and where it happens

We come to the person. Sessions take place wherever they are most at ease.

In the home

Their own living room, their own chair — the setting they know best.

Senior living

Independent living, assisted living, and memory care communities.

Hospice & end of life

Presence and comfort in the room, for the person and the family.

Small groups

Resident cohorts in a community, or an intimate family session.

And a plain word about who tends to arrange this. It is usually not the senior adult. It is the son or daughter who has been quietly managing everything and is looking for something that isn't another safeguard — something that gives a parent a good hour and gives the family the person back for a while.

If that is you: this is built for exactly what you're trying to do.

Getting Started

How It Works

Three simple steps — our team handles everything so the only thing left to do is show up.

01

A Short Consultation

We learn about the person — their history, what they respond to, what you're hoping for. No diagnosis or referral needed.

02

Matched to a Board-Certified Therapist

Music or art, individual or small group, in the setting that suits them — home, community, or hospice.

03

Schedule a Session

Most families choose a standing weekly or biweekly slot — consistency is where the benefit compounds.

Why board-certified matters

There is a real difference between a board-certified creative arts therapist and a well-meaning activities hour, and it is worth understanding before you pay for either.

MT-BC (Music Therapist – Board Certified) and ATR-BC (Art Therapist – Registered, Board Certified) are earned credentials — graduate training, supervised clinical hours, a national exam, and ongoing continuing education. These are clinical disciplines, not hobbies with a professional coat of paint.

A volunteer with a guitar or a table of colored pencils can brighten an afternoon, and there's nothing wrong with that. But it isn't the same as a trained clinician working toward a specific goal for a specific person. When it's your parent, that difference is the whole point. Every therapist we send is board-certified.

Board-certified creative arts therapist working with a senior

For senior living communities

If you run a community, you already know families ask for this and it's hard to staff well. We make it simple to offer without adding it to your payroll or your budget.

  • A recurring, board-certified program in your building — individual sessions, resident groups, or both.
  • Private pay, arranged with families directly — a differentiated amenity that costs your operating budget nothing.
  • A real answer for the family tour — the enrichment question comes up on every visit, and this is a credible, specific response.
Bring creative arts therapy to your community →
Creative arts therapy in a senior living community
Do you need a diagnosis or referral?
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No. Families can arrange sessions directly. We'll ask a few questions during the consultation to match the right therapist and approach.

How long is a session?
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Music therapy sessions typically run 30–45 minutes; art therapy sessions about an hour. We adjust to the person's stamina and attention.

Where do you travel?
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We serve homes and senior communities across our regional service area. Ask us about your zip code — we'll tell you honestly.

Is this covered by insurance or Medicare?
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These programs are private pay. There's no insurance paperwork and no waiting on approvals.

Individual or group — which is better?
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One-on-one work tends to reach deeper, especially in memory care. Groups can build connection and joy among residents. Many families do both over time.

Can you work with someone in late-stage dementia?
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Yes. This is where board-certified music therapy in particular has some of its most striking effects — reaching people well past the point where conversation has become difficult.

Silver Shield Alliance provides board-certified creative arts therapy programs intended to support wellbeing, connection, and quality of life. These programs are not medical or psychological treatment, are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition, and are not a substitute for care from a licensed medical or mental-health provider. Services are provided on a private-pay basis and are not billed to Medicare or other insurance. In an emergency, call 911. Silver Shield Alliance LLC

An hour that's just for them.

You've handled the hard, practical parts of caring for someone. This is the part that's just for them — and, quietly, for you. An hour where your parent is met, not managed.

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