Meet Kareen!
Click to listen to “Too Old to Cry”
Welcome to The Golden Experience! I am a Keynote Speaker/ Performance Artist, Registered Drama Therapist, and Creative Engagement Consultant who edutains those who want to find the most effective ways to love, empower, and creatively engage individuals in long-term care settings.
My passion for loving elders began in 2006 while working as an Activities Supervisor at a skilled nursing facility. It took root the day I encountered Euleta, a nursing home resident who felt like giving up after being repeatedly unacknowledged by some of her busy direct care workers. Her words, “Would you take me to my room? I’m too old to cry,” touched me so deeply that I captured them in a song which set the wheels in motion for a CD as well as my first speaking engagement at the Kansas Activity Director Association.
Since then, I have keynoted for various associations and organizations in the field of long-term care including Health Care, Person-Centered Care, Culture Change, Ombudsman, Activity Professionals, Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care, Hospice, Certified Nurse Assistants, and more. As a result, staff members report returning to their workplaces with greater love, compassion, energy, creativity and vision.
“Kareen King is arguably one of the best and most creative singer-songwriters addressing the needs of our older adults in the USA. I have been in the field of aging for nearly 40 years and have never seen the likes of her before. Her capacity to teach is not through lectures but through songs and stories. Her musical skill has been an effective way to teach direct care workers. You will not be disappointed by her compassion, her creative musicality and her wonderful stories to boot! While her time on stage is always entertaining, she can skillfully ground her message in the latest gerontological theories of the day.”
Cullen T. Hayashida, Ph.D.
Director, Kupuna (Elder) Education Center,
Kapiolani Community College,
Honolulu, Hawaii
“May we all be blessed in our golden years to have a sincere advocate for our personal care, dignity, and independence who is as profoundly dedicated and talented as Kareen King. I think every person working in healthcare should hear her message.”
PJ Prusia
Executive Director
Silvercrest at Deer Creek
