Anne Basting

Creative gerontologist
Anne Basting is infusing the arts and humanities into the lives and care settings of uncommunicative patients.

Why you should listen

Anne Basting is transforming human lives by focusing on infusing the arts and humanities into care settings dedicated to people with cognitive disabilities like dementia. As a scholar and an artist, Basting's innovative work has been recognized by a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, an Ashoka Fellowship, a Rockefeller Fellowship and multiple major grants. She is the author and editor of multiple books, including The Penelope Project: An Arts-Based Odyssey to Change Elder CareForget Memory: Creating Better Lives for People with Dementia, and the forthcoming Creative Care: A Revolutionary Approach to Dementia and Elder Care. Basting is professor of theatre at the Peck School of the Arts at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and founder and president of TimeSlips, which is dedicated to fostering an alliance of artists and caregivers bringing meaning and joy to late life through creativity. TimeSlips has certified facilitators in 47 states and 18 countries.

Anne Basting’s TED talk