In the September issue of the Creative Ageing Notebook we share some of the latest research and resources about the benefits of the Arts for enhancing the lives of older adults, as well as upcoming Mid North Coast based Creative Ageing projects.

This July 2022 report investigates the design, delivery, and impacts of Entelechy Arts’ remote
creative programme, ‘Staying Connected’, from the perspectives of service providers and users
during, and as the country transitioned out of, the restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Staying Connected included provision for members (service users) of "Meet Me", a long-standing
social and creative programme run for older adults in partnership with The Albany in Lewisham. The study conducted qualitative focus groups and a longitudinal quantitative study with older adults to understand how they engaged with the programme and to assess whether programme participation was related to psychological wellbeing over a 6-month period.

In its 40 pages it summarises key findings as well as more detailed findings and a series of recommendations and a related literature review. This report stems from an 18-month UK Research and Innovation - Arts and Humanities Research Council (UKRI-AHRC) funded research project conducted in collaboration between Entelechy Arts and Queen Mary University London (QMUL).

From September, 2022 psychiatrists in one of Brussels largest hospitals have been able to offer
patients “museum prescriptions”, a free visit with a few friends or family members to discover one
or more of Brussels’ cultural institutions.

Delphine Houba, a Brussels deputy mayor in charge of culture, believes the project is the first of its kind in Europe. A goal, she said, is to give doctors “a new tool in the healing process”. The project was inspired by a similar project in Canada, where doctors have been issuing prescriptions to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts since 2018.

In Brussels, the pilot project is running for six months, involving five museums that are directly under the control of city authorities. These include the city’s history museum, a centre for contemporary art, and the fashion and lace museum.

A review by the World Health Organization in 2019 concluded that arts could help people
experiencing mental illnesses and urged greater collaboration between culture and public health
professionals. - The Observer, Brussels.

Image: The Brussels City Museum, one of the institutions participating in the pilot program Photo by Edwin Remsberg / VWPics / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

This practical Toolkit is intended to provide straightforward advice, knowhow and useful videos for
people who want to bring more creative activities into care settings and get the most out of working with artists. This 40 page guide by Age and Opportunity is jammed packed with ideas and practical general advice for the nuts and bolts of organising events and activities as well as specialised advice on the visual arts and music.

Age & Opportunity has a long track record of arts programmes and training in relation to care
settings. It was one of the founder organisations in establishing Azure; a network of arts institutions with the aim of providing dementia-inclusive art-viewing events for persons living with dementia and their carers’. It developed Creative Exchanges which delivers high quality training to facilitate learners currently working with older people in residential and day care settings and people from arts backgrounds. In 2017 it established their first Artist in Residence in a Care Setting initiative and since then has been working across Ireland to nurture diverse arts engagements and experiences in various care settings environments.

This review includes 31 studies. Most of the studies were based in the UK, seven were from the USA, three were Australian, and one each from Canada, Spain and Sweden. The review was commissioned by the Baring Foundation and runs to 60 pages. The included studies cover the following art forms: Music, Singing, Drama, Visual arts, Dance, Storytelling, Festivals and Mixed art forms. Fifteen of the studies employed qualitative methodologies to research impact (interviews, focus groups, observation etc.), seven quantitative (standardised measures, surveys etc.) and three used both qualitative and quantitative methods.

The Report also makes a number of recommendations as well as highlighting the key benefits of the programs.

Arts Mid North Coast is proud to support these Mid North Coast Creative Ageing projects through our Country Arts Support Program.