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About the project
This program involved weekly in-person creative activities offered to seniors over a 1-year period. The study hypothesized, based on past evidence from similar programs, that this intervention would improve quality of life – specifically bettering both the participant’s mental and physical wellbeing. This type of program has been recognized by older adults and researchers in many jurisdictions as a preference for aging-at-home and in-community. It also provides social, cultural, and economic value to older adults and their communities. This program was run by art professionals trained to work with older adults. Activities were selected to provide seniors with a wide range of meaningful learning experiences, while providing a space for meaningful social interaction between participants. 130 older adults (aged 65+) participated in the program (122 seniors served as the control group).
Conclusions and lessons learned
- Results suggest that an art-based intervention improved the mental health, and to a certain extent, the physical health of seniors.
- Positive outcomes were more apparent toward the latter part of this program, especially among participants with initial low levels of wellbeing.
- Participants in the Art4Life program voiced hope for engagement in similar creative learning opportunities in the future.
Recommendations
- Given that findings support past evidence: (1) Arts-based programming should be continued and extended to other jurisdictions, and (2) Similar program should be implemented on a larger scale.
- Scaling up should move from municipal level to regional and provincial levels. At the provincial level, a framework is recommended to be established for long-term financial viability and scaling of the program (e.g., through Medicare or provincial grants).
- A multidisciplinary team should be assembled with the expertise to: (1) Develop the program, recruit experts (qualified artists), and competently monitor the endeavour’s objectives and delivery, and (2) Liaise with government, foundations, and private sector’s partnership.
To learn more read the complete project findings (PDF 137 KB)