The scene opened with old faces, withered and lined. Then the scene shifted to rural Alabama, and multi-coloured quilts filled the screen as they were hung on rope lines. These were the creations of Arlonzia Pettway, now 84, along with her friends and neighbours – a group of quilt makers from Gee’s Bend, Ala.

It was at the end of the first full day of the annual conference of the Canadian Association on Gerontology, held this year in Calgary. The documentary Do Not Go Gently (the title comes from a poem by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas), produced by Melissa Godoy and her mother Eileen Littig and directed by Godoy, was being premièred to those at the conference.

Moving effortlessly from narration by quiltmaker Pettway, who started to make her creations when she was a small child in Alabama, to the story of Frederik Franklin, a 90-year-old ballet instructor whose illustrious career in classical ballet spanned decades, to comments on the world of music by Leo Ornstein, a 109-year-old classical pianist whose musical journey spanned continents and almost a century of playing, the film extols the creative forces that exist in all of us.

The segments highlighting the featured “stars” of the film are interspersed with scenes showing creative programs in long-term care facilities and senior centres where poetry, dance, music and art are produced by and integrated into the lives of individuals in the later years of life, many of whom suffer from complex medical conditions, including cognitive impairment.

The film was narrated by Dr. Gene Cohen, co-founder of the Creativity Discovery Corps, whose mission is to identify and preserve the creative accomplishments of under-recognized talented older adults. He is the first director of the Center on Aging, Health & Humanities at George Washington University, and a renowned scholar and researcher in the field of aging whose most recent focus has been on the creative spirit in seniors. His narration helped focus not just on the accomplishments of the unusually creative “stars” of the film, but on the marvellous and often un-tapped potential of seniors at all stages of life and in all living situations.

The message of the film was moving and uplifting. For those involved in eldercare, the plight of many in institutional settings is often a major challenge and cause for concern. Godoy has said that one of her motivations for producing the film was her experience with another project that took her to nursing homes where she observed the severely limited interactions of the residents and the lack of emotional, verbal or creative stimulation or programs.

In organizations and jurisdictions that recognize the intrinsic desire of seniors, including those with severe disabilities, for music, dance, art and words, and their responsiveness to these stimuli, programs are developed to seek out and promote the creative spirit often locked up in frail elderly individuals.

Over the years, I have observed and personally experienced remarkable expressions of talent by individuals and groups who have been given the opportunity and the means to express themselves. I have seen rhythm groups of people with substantial cognitive impairment playing drums and tambourines and xylophones create unadulterated joyous and compelling beat-filled music. Choirs made up of seniors of all ages entertain others. I have had patients undertake memoirs in their late years, in their quest to preserve their past and leave a legacy for their families.

The movie Do Not Go Gently is an eloquent reminder of the power of artistic creativity, which can and should be tapped in the elders we care for as family members and professionals, so that their talents can enrich their lives, the lives of others and the world.

Dr. Michael Gordon is medical program director of palliative care at Baycrest and co-author with Bart Mindszenthy of Parenting Your Parents (Dundurn Press).