TY - JOUR
T1 - “Making the Ordinary More Extraordinary”
T2 - Exploring Creativity as a Health Promotion Practice Among Older Adults in a Community-Based Professionally Taught Arts Program
AU - Cantu, Adelita G.
AU - Fleuriet, K. Jill
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank the participants of the study. The authors would like to acknowledge the careful work of research assistants Bianca San Miquel and Alexis Whalen.
PY - 2018/6/1
Y1 - 2018/6/1
N2 - Purpose: Document psychosocial and mental well-being outcomes across artistic mediums and classes of a community-based, professionally taught arts program for older adults. Method: One hundred and thirty-eight students completed pre and post class surveys about expectations/experiences when creating art in four mediums (painting, drawing, mixed media, creative writing). In addition, 162 students composed one-paragraph biographical narratives describing their relationships to art and creative engagement. Text was coded for a priori and emergent themes to identify and explain well-being outcomes. Findings: Results of this new study supported and expanded our earlier model of improved psychosocial and mental well-being due to creative engagement: impact of class-cognitive focus and outcome of class-cognitive focus, happiness as component of mental and social well-being due to creative engagement, and robust sense of calmness during the creative process. Conclusion: Results suggest that professionally taught arts programming can contribute to well-being and may contribute to brain health through promoting an enhanced ability to focus. Holistic nursing treats creativity as healing, and results suggest that creative engagement should be a priority in therapeutic programming, and individual counseling for older adults to begin engaging in some form of art making suited to their abilities should be incorporated into nursing practice.
AB - Purpose: Document psychosocial and mental well-being outcomes across artistic mediums and classes of a community-based, professionally taught arts program for older adults. Method: One hundred and thirty-eight students completed pre and post class surveys about expectations/experiences when creating art in four mediums (painting, drawing, mixed media, creative writing). In addition, 162 students composed one-paragraph biographical narratives describing their relationships to art and creative engagement. Text was coded for a priori and emergent themes to identify and explain well-being outcomes. Findings: Results of this new study supported and expanded our earlier model of improved psychosocial and mental well-being due to creative engagement: impact of class-cognitive focus and outcome of class-cognitive focus, happiness as component of mental and social well-being due to creative engagement, and robust sense of calmness during the creative process. Conclusion: Results suggest that professionally taught arts programming can contribute to well-being and may contribute to brain health through promoting an enhanced ability to focus. Holistic nursing treats creativity as healing, and results suggest that creative engagement should be a priority in therapeutic programming, and individual counseling for older adults to begin engaging in some form of art making suited to their abilities should be incorporated into nursing practice.
KW - art therapy
KW - health promotion/disease prevention
KW - older adults
KW - psychosocial/mental health
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U2 - 10.1177/0898010117697863
DO - 10.1177/0898010117697863
M3 - Article
C2 - 29172944
AN - SCOPUS:85047169095
VL - 36
SP - 123
EP - 133
JO - Journal of Holistic Nursing
JF - Journal of Holistic Nursing
SN - 0898-0101
IS - 2
ER -