Art therapy for seniors promotes healthy aging, especially for those residing in any retirement or independent living facility.
Senior art classes and creative therapies offer different health and social benefits for those coping with memory ailments or other cognitive disorders. Today’s Geriatric Medicine states, “Making art can improve cognitive functions by producing both new neural pathways and thicker, stronger dendrites.” In-depth neurological research confirms all assumptions that specialized art therapy programs do improve the quality of life for retired seniors. Art therapy for elderly residents continues to increase in popularity among facilities in the elderly living industry. Now’s the time to update your services to better fit the ever-changing needs of the people in your care.
There are many ways to offer high-quality art therapy for seniors at your retirement care facilities, including painting, theater, music, pottery, dance, and poetry, to name a few. Dr. Raquel Stephenson of Lesley University explains the value of these unique artistic programs: “The power is in the art-making process—in how the artist engages with the art being made.” Seniors at your facility don’t need to be artistic geniuses or creative moguls to reap the benefits of these colorful, one-of-a-kind therapeutic activities.
A detail-oriented class like flower arranging or sketching is a brain workout in disguise for those battling memory loss. A musical or play with weekly rehearsals helps fight off depression and feelings of loneliness in elders. The overall opportunity to take a step back and create something or feel imaginative helps relieve emotional and physical pain for many seniors yearning to get their minds focused on something else, if only for a moment.
As you likely already know, running a retirement or senior care facility is about helping your residents find a new sense of purpose in their daily routines. Innovative programs like art therapy can help seniors fill this void and help them feel this next phase in their lives is a brand-new beginning—not an end.
3 Amazing Benefits of Art Therapy for Seniors
The benefits of art therapy activities for seniors are endless, from arts and crafts to adaptive art projects and interactive programs. Art therapy is quickly becoming a must-have on the checklist for those seeking quality care for their loved ones. Here are three of the biggest reasons for your facility to add creative expression therapies to your routine care programs.
1. Promotes Socialization and Making New Friends
Implementing art therapy for seniors at your assisted living facility is a great way to encourage elders to interact with one another, meet new people, and promote new friendships. The act of attending an art class pushes seniors to move outside their comfort zones and maintain a healthy level of daily human interaction, not to mention the fantastic chance to meet others in similar phases of life, experiencing many of the same hurdles that accompany aging. While transitioning into a retirement home can be scary and stressful, art therapy can help.
A study reported by TIME Magazine and conducted by the AARP Foundation found about 24 percent of individuals over 70 are lonely. This statistic is due to the many changes taking place and their impact on an older adult’s day-to-day life. These naturally occurring life changes include losing close family members or friends, living alone, and spending more time inside. All these elements contribute to the unfortunate loneliness common among retirees.
Luckily, sessions dedicated to art therapy for seniors help offset any common feelings of isolation among elderly individuals. Adjusting to life in a senior living home can be a struggle for many. Laid-back, relaxing environments like jewelry crafting or summer candle making are ideal, low-stress, and natural ways for older people to get to know one another. Consider hosting art therapy activities as a mixer event for new residents to get to know each other—maybe even invite the families, too!
Socialization and a strong core group of friends to rely on are crucial to feeling a sense of security and belonging as you age. Art therapy encourages healthy communication habits and positively impacts the quality of life for elders.
2. Improves Cognitive Skills and Memory Ability
Another amazing benefit of art therapy for seniors is a significant improvement in cognitive capabilities. Studies show that these creatively innovative programs positively impact the ability of elders to cope with memory loss at all levels. According to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, art classes push seniors with early-onset dementia to work their brains and really focus on one project for any given amount of time. These activities stimulate their brains as well as their memories.
For example, an effective way to tailor senior art therapy classes for those with cognitive issues might be to ask each participant in the class to sketch a drawing of any object from their past that symbolizes a significant moment in their lives. This active practice helps seniors exercise their brains while working on their memory abilities. A study conducted in 2021 determined that, “art therapy is considered effective because it can be tailored to meet a range of needs for each individual person. For example, it can be used as a communication tool, helps meet patients’ emotional and psychological needs, retains skills, and encourages the process of reminiscence.”
Living with Alzheimer’s or any moderate to severe memory loss is not easy. Often, older adults living with these ailments struggle with finding a sense of control and stillness in their lives, using art for overall well-being.
Art therapy for seniors might not be the cure-all, but these activities improve cognitive skills and memory. These creative programs allow your older residents to feel more in control of their bodies and, most importantly, their minds.
3. Reduces Physical and Emotional Pain
This last (but certainly not least) benefit of art therapy for seniors is where every single element really comes together. From daily moods to aging bodily soreness, adaptive art programs alleviate these pains.
From a physical standpoint, art therapy improves chronic pain symptoms like stiffness, joint pain, and swelling caused by common conditions like arthritis, fibromyalgia, and high blood pressure—ailments seniors often deal with. Getting the body moving in a dance class, activating blood flow through the hand joints while clay making, or stretching before the big musical dance number all serve as healthy ways to reduce physical pain. These examples of art therapy for the elderly emphasize body movement and benefit elders coping with muscle discomforts, and motor skill issues.
Emotionally, these classes often serve as something special for seniors to look forward to throughout the week. The sense of wanting to take part in something and create a piece of artwork are both big motivators that help fight off depression and decrease bad moods. Additionally, art therapy for seniors has been shown to relax retirees and promote a sense of calmness. No matter what the art or craft, the act of creating art is therapeutic for human beings in general.
It’s helpful to note the Lippincott Nursing Center reports that “The American Art Therapy Association defines art therapy as a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by the art therapist, use art and the creative process to explore emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, and increase self-esteem.”
Senior art classes and creative therapies provide three amazing benefits for elders. Whether struggling with loneliness in this new phase of life or fighting a daily battle with cognitive disorders at an assisted living facility, interactive art therapy programs spark creativity in elders while keeping their minds and memories activated.
- Sketching a detailed object exercises the brain and improves cognitive skills.
- Singing a solo in the holiday senior center play brings a sense of lightheartedness to life and adds humor to the everyday routine in a retirement home.
- Poetry Club is a great way to meet others with similar writing and creative interests.
- Music class allows older people to learn something new about an instrument or to remember the joy they had when they used to play regularly.
- Stringing jewelry or following a knitting pattern challenges seniors to practice attention to detail and focus, thereby improving awareness.
- Creating a collage of fond memories from the best times of life successfully triggers positive memories and improves retention.
When it comes to art therapy for seniors, the benefits, activity options, and opportunities for growth and restorative care are endless.
For more ideas, tips, and life advice to help you run your assisted living retirement facility with the highest level of care, manage trends in the senior care industry, and help your loved ones with assisted living, visit our Boiler Room Blog.
