Flipping the Script: Creative Spark and reciprocity of care

Jessica McCracken, Front Porch’s Senior Director of Creative Engagement, shares how creativity and a renewed understanding of the reciprocity of care Flips the Script on Aging. Throughout Older Americans Month 2025, we will explore the many ways the people, communities and programs throughout Front Porch flip the script on aging.

I first encountered the concept of reciprocity of care in Anne Basting’s book Creative Care, and it has stayed with me ever since. At its heart, it’s a simple yet transformative idea: care is not a one-way street—it’s a mutual exchange.

Everyone brings something to the table. Everyone has inherent value, and that value deserves to be recognized and celebrated. This mindset applies not only to relationships between staff and residents, but also among staff themselves, and between staff and the organizations they work within. At every level, partnership and relationship-building should be at the center of care.

In our Creative Spark trainings, this concept is foundational. Creative Spark energizes and inspires staff through interactive trainings designed to inspire meaningful connections. We aim to move away from a service-oriented model—where one party is seen as lacking and the other as giving—and instead center our work around the belief that everyone has a spark within them. That spark may be creativity, curiosity, memory, humor, tenderness or a lifetime of lived experience. Whatever it is, it matters. And it deserves to be seen.

This year’s Older Americans Month theme, Flipping the Script, aligns perfectly with our mission. We’re encouraged to challenge the outdated narratives of aging and spotlight the strength, vitality and potential of older adults. They have so much to share, and when we recognize that spark, all of us stand to gain.

On the second Tuesday of each month at 2:00 pm Pacific Time, Creative Spark hosts a virtual gathering that explores creativity, longevity and connection. At each gathering, we meet someone new, learn of a new resource or program and walk away with a renewed sense of purpose in our work. Senior living providers, artists, museum docents, home health aides and others share resources and enthusiasm for the intersection between arts and aging. It’s an opportunity to talk about your work, seek guidance and support and connect with friends.

And it’s an opportunity to see that there’s more to aging than needing support and care. There is always more to discover. Whether it’s a resident discovering their voice in poetry after decades of silence, or a volunteer realizing that they’re receiving just as much (if not more) than they’re giving, we’re constantly reminded that creativity knows no age limit. And neither does connection. As one of our participants shared, “Creative Spark inspired me to work more with my team; to continue to shift my thinking and belief systems about what it means to grow older; to discover what lights me up so I can use it to help others find what lights them up.”

You are warmly welcome to join us at any of our Spark Gatherings each second Tuesday, and find new ways to experience the care and creativity that exists all around us. Sign up to stay in touch on future gatherings, creative aging info and more!