Participating in the arts offers a host of physical, mental and social benefits for older adults.
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Posted in , Jun 15, 2021
Ashlee Cordell is a Research Assistant and Project Coordinator with the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging
Coming up with activities to keep your older loved one mentally and physically engaged can be a tall order. Exploring the creative arts is one of the best ways to begin! Your loved one can enjoy creative expression either from the comfort of home or by venturing into the community. Older adults benefit in numerous ways—physically, mentally and socially—from participating in the arts.
As people get older, their body of knowledge and expertise continues to expand, and can become major building blocks of creative expression. Pandemic restrictions have caused social isolation and loneliness to rise, so creative expression is more important than ever, as it can help to alleviate these issues, as well as others.
Among the benefits of artistic expression are:
The result can be better overall health and well-being for your loved one. This is the case whether he or she takes part in arts programming that’s led by a professional or simply enjoys the creative arts as a hobby. Another plus is that your loved one can experience the physical, mental and social benefits of creative expression without having any art training or experience.
Either in the community or a long-term care environment, you and your loved one can participate in the creative arts in a number of ways, including:
For more information on the social impact of art, visit the Arts + Social Impacts Explorer Tool on the Americans for the Arts website. The interactive tool includes downloadable fact sheets to make the great impact of the arts more visible to all. For additional behavioral health and social support services, use the Eldercare Locator to find what is available in your area.