Medical experts and health professionals have documented that music and art can benefit an aging person in many ways, but not all facilities or senior living centers can afford programs that provide these activities.
That's where Carol Gibson and her team of volunteers at Compassionate Artists step in.
She tells Heroes host Heather Jordan, "I am a lifetime lover of the arts, and the idea of living my life without any exposure to the arts, to live music, theater, dance, or creating would kill me. So I decided to do something about it."
Gibson's career in Southern California has always involved some form of creativity, and for the last ten years, she's been using her passion for the arts to bring joy to hundreds of low-income seniors.
"We do music one week, art one week, dance one week, and musical theater the other week," Gibson explained.
She says 70% of those they serve have been abandoned by their families or have no living relatives, surviving on social security and state health programs.
Gibson and her volunteers become like family for the seniors and a source of hope.
"The last part of the brain to go is the Music Center," Gibson said. "We have seen miracles with music. If you could see these people's faces, oh my God. They're there an hour before we show up waiting because they're so excited."
Continuing her lifetime of service across Southern California, Carol Gibson is our KNX Hero of the Week.
Check out all our KNX Heroes here.
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