Long Live Art, Resist the Pandemic

July 2022 – June 2023
Tarsus, Mezitli / MERSİN

This project includes starting a music choir and a theatre group, organising a concert, writing and staging a new theatrical play about Alzheimer's disease with the objective of kicking off music and theatre activities for people over the age of 55 in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Ageing can’t be stopped, but ageing well is possible. The way to do this is through healthy ageing activities. Healthy ageing activities consist of physical, mental and artistic activities that give the elderly self-confidence, make them feel useful, and help them socialise, which are regarded as the most effective way known today to prevent Alzheimer's.

This is why music and theatre were determined as the artistic activities the Long Live Art, Resist the Pandemic project offers. Music creates physiological effects in humans by creating various patterns in different brain areas, and singing causes the stress hormone levels to drop, reducing anger, stress and tension, and increasing concentration. Acting in a play brings feelings of solidarity and an outlet for self-expression, helps to overcome shyness and increases self-confidence.

Through music and theatre activities, elderly participants will have the opportunity to socialise, integrate into society, become physically and mentally refreshed, use their personal skills and abilities, and feel productive. They will see a drop in their stress and anxiety levels, while their immune systems will be stronger. The project not only promotes healthy ageing but it also aims to change the society's perspective on the elderly and to reduce ageism resulting in their exclusion.

Mersin Alzheimer's Association

The main activities of Mersin Alzheimer's Association are active ageing activities for healthy elderly people with Alzheimer's Disease. Its mission is:

To provide early diagnosis by raising awareness about AD,
Finding solutions to the care problems of AD patients,
Supporting caretakers of patients by providing training and solutions to their care problems. (Caretakers usually suffer the full burden of this disease and see an increase in their own physical and mental illnesses including depression.)
Increasing social awareness about active ageing,
Establishing and running Active Ageing Houses for healthy elderly people to carry out active ageing activities.

Mersin Alzheimer's Association has established three separate active ageing centres in Mersin in collaboration with local municipalities for healthy elderly people. These centres accommodate hundreds of people with their offering of artistic as well as physical and mental activities. The activities in the Active Ageing Centres are free of charge and they are carried out with a community-based approach model, where individuals are encouraged to be independent and integrated into social life rather than resorting to living in isolation.

This page is published on 23 June 2022.
Last update: 24 June 2022