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.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, © The Author(s) 2017.
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 -